Hawks of the Year Standings: Most Valuable Non-Active Jayhawks

Add Lagerald Vick to the list of Kansas players to miss an extended period of time for the Jayhawks this year.

We’re to the point where we could have a separate most valuable player standings purely with players who have missed, are currently missing, or are expected to miss at least a handful of games. Which got me to thinking, how would we rank the value of Udoka Azubuike, Silvio De Sousa, Marcus Garrett, and Lagerald Vick based on their absences? Ochai technically “missed” an extended period of time, but considering he’s currently dominating on the court, he’s left off this list.

Factoring in all injuries/absences, length of time out, and state of the team, the Most Valuable Non-Active Jayhawks goes something like this:

Udoka Azubuike: Doke is KU’s most dominant post player that teams must prepare their game plans around. It’s a big loss.

Silvio De Sousa: Silvio’s a great rebounder and guy who can play above the rim. Doke’s absence makes Silvio a more vital missing piece.

Marcus Garrett: Marcus is the team’s best defender, who was starting to figure it out on offense a bit more. Garrett is lower on the list due to the wing being Kansas’ deepest position and the fact that he should be coming back soon.

Lagerald Vick: Vick is arguably KU’s worst perimeter defender, doesn’t get to the rim of free-throw line often, and his best attribute (3-point shooting) is being supplemented well byAgbaji, Lawson, and Grimes. So it’s a loss, but not as dramatic as others.

Well that was sufficiently depressing. Time for the guys still left on the court.

Most Valuable Jayhawks

Players whose skills and play most directly impacts the success of the team.

1 - Dedric Lawson (Last Week: 1)

Everyone knows the Jayhawks’ offense goes through Lawson, yet he continues to make a case as an All-American despite being the only real threat inside for KU.

2 - Devon Dotson (Last Week: 2)

Dotson is becoming a reliable 12-5-5 player who is going to pick an opponent’s pocket and get a transition bucket at least one or two times a game. He and Ochai are neck and neck for second best player on the team, but Dotson maintains a slight edge in these rankings due to the value of the position and the fact that the drop-off from him to Moore is greater than Agbaji to Grimes/Garrett.

3 - Ochai Agbaji (Last Week: 3)

Agbaji wins the award for the biggest surprise of the season, becoming the perfect “break glass in case of emergency” tool. It helps that two of KU’s biggest weaknesses (outside shooting and rebounding) happen to be two of his greatest strengths.

Honorable Mention: Marcus Garrett, Quentin Grimes

Most Productive Jayhawks

Players who are putting up the best numbers for the Jayhawks.

1 - Dedric Lawson (Last Week: 1)

Lawson is keeping pretty good company. Only three former Jayhawks since 1992 have averaged at least 19 points and 10 rebounds per game: Wayne Simien, Drew Gooden, and Raef LaFrentz. Lawson would be the fourth if he can maintain his 19.6 ppg and 10.6 rpg.

2 - Devon Dotson (Last Week: 2)

Dotson is up to 11.5 points, 3.5 rebounds, 3.5 assists, and 1.5 steals per game while shooting 52% from 2, 40% from 3, and 79% from the line. Not bad for a freshman running the offense for the first time.

3 - Ochai Agbaji (Last Week: HM)

Thanks to a couple of big offensive performances against Texas and Oklahoma State, Agbaji is a hair shy of 10 ppg (9.9). He’s doing so shooting 42 percent from 3-point range, while taking as many attempts in 10 games as Garrett has all season.

Honorable Mention: Marcus Garrett, Lagerald Vick

Assets of the Week

1 - Mitch’s Overall Performance

Mitch Lightfoot put together his best consecutive appearances all year in the most Mitch way, compiling 12 points, 14 rebounds, and two blocks in 34 minutes over his last two games. Lightfoot gave Lawson some much-needed assistance, while showcasing his patented Mitch level of effort.

2 - Moore’s Scoring Outburst

Charlie Moore wasn’t on Mitch’s level this week, but it was an improvement from what we had seen. And while there’s still aspects left to be desired in his game, Moore’s 12 points in two games were as much as he scored in the 10 games prior combined.

3 - Lawson’s Blocks

Lawson swatted four shots this week, raising his average to 1.2 blocks per game. KU is not going to have a true rim protector this year, but Lawson is at least proving a serviceable fill-in.