NCAAB
College Basketball's Elite 8 Freshman During the 2016-17 Season So Far
1. Lauri Markkanen, Arizona Wildcats
Seeing as he hails from Finland, Markkanen was never given a recruiting class rank. On the other hand, his 96 grade is proving to be more than accurate through just 15 games.
While averaging 31.4 minutes on the floor, the Arizona Wildcats' standout player has scored 15.8 points to go with 7.3 rebounds. His 3.2 win shares rank third in the nation and his .272 win shares per 40 place him 12th and first among freshmen.
I'm sorry but this is just a ridiculous three-point shot that college freshman shouldn't be able to make #LauriMarkkanen #ArizonaWildcats pic.twitter.com/RWFiEFXXUs
— David Kelly (@DavidKellyTNN) December 21, 2016
Wow! That's a 7'0" power forward stepping out to hit a three while slightly off balance. Markannen is uber-versatile for his height, and he's a solid 230 pounds. If that doesn't remind you of Kristaps Porzingis then I don't know what you're looking at.