On Thursday, UNC freshman forward Caleb Wilson was added to the Naismith Defensive Player of the Year Watch List, one of 25 players considered to be in the running, as announced by the Atlanta Tipoff Club.
Wilson is one of two freshmen, along with Duke’s Cameron Boozer, to crack the top 25 Watch List. While he’s not the front-runner, he does have a golden opportunity to close the gap on Saturday when North Carolina goes on the road to face Georgia Tech.
Caleb Wilson named to Naismith Defensive Player of the Year Watch List
It’s hard to know exactly how an award like Defensive Player of the Year will be decided. The counting stats, though, are usually a good place to start. A year ago, Creighton center Ryan Kalkbrenner won the award after averaging 2.7 blocks (5th) and 8.7 rebounds per game (41st). His 93 total blocks were the fourth most.
Those raw counting stats outweigh the advanced metrics, which pegged either Duke’s Cooper Flagg or Houston’s Joseph Tugler as the most valuable defenders in the country. Flagg finished as a semifinalist and won the Naismith Player of the Year Award.
Those value stats aren’t perfect and can heavily index on the team context over individual defensive impact. For what it’s worth, this season, by defensive win shares, Boozer is far and away the most valuable defender in the country, while Wilson is situated near the top.
While that could make it seem as though Boozer is a shoo-in, it’s still important to have the counting stats, either blocks or steals, on your resume, and the Duke superstar doesn’t. Not a particularly impressive vertical athlete, he’s averaging 0.6 blocks per game with 1.8 steals.
Wilson is averaging 1.4 blocks and 1.6 steals per game. Those are both strong marks, but hardly enough to tip the scales in his favor for the award. So, he needs a few big games in the final month or so of the regular season to strengthen his case, and Saturday at Georgia Tech is a great place to start.
Georgia Tech's sloppy offense will give Caleb Wilson every chance to post a huge defensive outing
The 11-10 (2-6) Yellow Jackets come into the weekend with a 16.6 percent turnover rate on offense, a 19th percentile mark nationally. Over the last five games, that somehow jumps to 17.3 percent (10th percentile). Opponents are averaging 8.0 steals a game against Damon Stoudamire’s team and are blocking an average of 4.0 shots.
Those are both staggeringly high marks and reflect Georgia Tech’s offensive struggles this year. By KenPom adjusted offensive rating, the Yellow Jackets rank 191st in Division I. That’s certainly a team that North Carolina, and Wilson in particular, can take advantage of. And he’ll need to if he wants to stay in the mix for the Naismith Defensive Player of the Year Award.
If Wilson wins it, he’d be the first Tar Heel to do so, and the first freshman.