Nearly 2,000 — yes, 2,000! — Division I basketball players hit the transfer portal last offseason. The mass exits and entrances across the country meant there was of course bound to be some players left in tricky spots, yet many have clicked right in with their new homes and are producing at a high level.
David Cobb looks like something of a grand wizard in fact if you go back to look at his preseason transfer rankings — a lot of the big names atop the rankings are producing — but I wanted to revisit the rankings with a refresh now that we’re a few months into the season. Shake the dust off and see where things have started to settle, you know?
I tried to do a top 10 list but there were too many deserving players worth mentioning so a top 20 (with a few honorable mentions) is the way I went.
These rankings factored in scoring, rebounding and assist production — typical counting stats — but they also factored in team success, the efficiency in which a player is producing and the overall importance of that player in the grand scheme of their respective team. Therefore, these rankings are 100% right. So please if you disagree just tell yourself you’re wrong and keep scrolling.
OK, let’s jump in.
Stats: 17.8 PPG, 5.4 RPG, 2.9 APG, 33.3 3P%, 24.5 PER
At Texas Tech Terrence Shannon was a sharpshooting lefty, an All-Big 12 because of his contributions to elite defenses and his ability to score it inside and out. At Illinois, he’s developed and sharpened those skills into a more complete player Illinois can turn to as its No. 1 option. He’s averaging a career-high 17.8 points, a career-high 5.4 rebounds and a career-high 2.9 assists per game while shooting a career-best 57% from 2-point range and pacing the Illini, most likely, to the NCAAs.
Stats: 20.4 PPG, 6.1 APG, 3.7 RPG, 30.3 3P%, 23.4 PER
It was a pretty even split at the top so I think of Davis more as a 1B in this ranking than a No….
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