5 reasons why RJ Davis won't win 2024 Naismith Player of the Year
North Carolina guard RJ Davis will attempt to become the first Tar Heel to win the 2024 Naismith Player of the Year award since Tyler Hansbrough in 2008. Winning this award is considered among the highest honors for a college basketball player.
While Davis shone this season among a massive pool of talented NCAA hoops stars, a few factors could still prevent him from winning this prestigious award.
Here are five reasons RJ Davis won't win the 2024 Naismith Player of the Year award.
5 reasons why RJ Davis won't win the 2024 Naismith Player of the Year
#1. Davis' rebounding numbers are down
Rebounding isn't necessarily a vital stat category for guards, but every stat needs to be taken into account when comparing the top players in the nation. RJ Davis has shown he can average over five boards per game, as he did last season.
Davis' rebounding average has dropped from 5.1 last season to just 3.6 this year. These aren't bad numbers by any means, but posting career highs in a variety of statistical categories can only make your argument for the Player of the Year award even more convincing.
#2. North Carolina failed to win the ACC tournament championship
All four teams that included finalists for the Naismith Player of the Year award failed to win their respective conference tournaments this season. Therefore, this isn't a major blow to RJ Davis' chance to win the award, but it doesn't elevate him over the competition.
North Carolina cruised all the way to the ACC championship but was stopped in its tracks against NC State. NC State's recent success in the NCAA Tournament has made the Tar Heels' loss to them look not so inexcusable. But the Tar Heels proved they were the top team in the ACC throughout the regular season and couldn't top it off with a conference championship.
#3. Competition
Every player going up against RJ Davis for this award has made a strong case as to why they deserve this award. The race is very tight and there are many arguments to be made for each and every finalist.
Tennessee's Dalton Knecht is averaging 21.1 points and 4.9 rebounds this season while shooting 46.1% from the field. Houston guard Jamal Shead is arguably the top two-way player in the country and averages 13.2 points, 6.4 assists and 2.2 steals.
Reigning Naismith Player of the Year, Zach Edey is poised to win the award for the second season in a row. He would be the third player in history to win this award multiple times. He is the leading scorer in the nation, averaging 24.5 ppg and ranks third in rebounding with 12.1 boards per game.
#4. The talent around RJ Davis
North Carolina's success this season has been greatly attributed to their talented roster, although some players, like Davis, may not get as many scoring opportunities as a result. This talented roster allows Davis not to be required to shoulder the majority of the responsibilities of winning games. This could be looked at as a negative for an award based on personal success.
Armando Bacot, Harrison Ingram and Cormac Ryan are three other players who scored double figures this season. This has helped North Carolina earn a No. 1 seed in March Madness but has taken possible scoring opportunities away from Davis.
Armando Bacot is averaging a double-double this season with 14.4 ppg and 10.2 rpg. Stanford transfer Harrison Ingram has been a key addition to UNC's return to March Madness this season, averaging 12.2 ppg and 8.8 rpg. Cormac Ryan, the senior transfer from Notre Dame, is the fourth player to average double figures, scoring 11.3 ppg this season.
#5. A high volume of three-point shots
RJ Davis is among the top shooters in the nation, currently shooting 41.1% from beyond the arc. However, he is taking more threes than he has ever taken in his career. Davis has taken 275 threes so far this season, compared to 174 in 2023 and 180 in 2022.
When these shots are falling, Davis posts a massive threat to the opposition, but when he's having an off night, the empty trips down the floor begin to stack up. The majority of the time, Davis shoots the ball at a very high rate. But there have been five games this season where he has shot under 30% from deep on over five attempts.