In this week’s article, I will highlight some of the top big men in the Big Ten. While these five players may not be the best five “big men” in the conference, they have all made an early season splash for their respective teams. My definition of a big man is someone who plays the power forward or center for their team. Not all of them fit the description of a typical power forward or center though. For example, some of them prefer to play on the perimeter and shoot outside shots, even though they are the second closest thing to a center in their starting lineup. I also decided not to include the five best big men because I have already written about some of them in other articles, or chose others because they are better fantasy contributors. I decided to get even more creative and make a starting lineup of the five players highlighted in this article, which keep in mind are all bigs. Nonetheless, I think it worked out pretty well and would definitely be scared to face a squad with these five on it.
Draymond Green, forward, Michigan State Spartans
Green would definitely be the point guard on this squad. A first glance at Green would likely lead one to believe that is a purely a low post player, based on his 6-foot-7, 230 pound frame. Rather, Green is one of the more multi-dimensional players in the nation and is a true stat sheet stuffer. Green, also known as the “Dancing Bear,” leads the Spartans in points, rebounds, assists, and steals. He is one of the best passing bigs I have ever seen and MSU’s offense runs through him. So in an essence he is Michigan State’s floor general, without actually being their point guard. The three-year captain is averaging 15.9 points, 9.7 rebounds, and 3.4 assists through the first 11 games of 2011. He scored a career-high 34 points at Gonzaga on Dec. 10, and has double-doubled in five games. Green is also in much better physical shape than he has been in the past, which allows him to play over 32 minutes per contest. Although Green is not thought of as a great pro prospect, any NBA team would be lucky to snag him because of the versatility that he offers. He can score both on the inside and outside and although he is not the best big man in the conference, he is certainly the most well-rounded which is great for fantasy purposes.
Deshaun Thomas, forward, Ohio State Buckeyes
With Jared Sullinger sitting out for the better part of three games, someone had to step up for Ohio State. That person has been Thomas. The 6-foot-7 shooter from Fort Wayne, Indiana has basically doubled his production from a season ago. Last year Thomas only played 14 minutes per game of the Buckeye bench, while still scoring an impressive 7.5 points. As a sophomore, Thomas now plays 28.5 minutes while averaging 15.9 points. To say that Thomas is an instant offense player is an understatement. He is shooting the ball at an incredibly high percentage (55.2%) for someone who takes so many outside shots, thus making Thomas the shooting guard for the purpose of this article. Thomas dropped 30 points on South Carolina this past Saturday, in a game that OSU trailed by two points at halftime. He was 13-for-16 from the field, while also grabbing five offensive rebounds. While Thomas isn’t as well rounded as both of the other big men, he still averages a modest 4.1 rebounds and 1.1 assists on top of his rapid scoring. Assuming Sullinger can get healthy again, he and Thomas arguably form the nation’s top frontcourt, although Thomas does not play in the post that often. Thomas’ game translates well into the NBA, although it might be another year or two before he ventures down that road.
John Shurna, forward, Northwestern Wildcats
How many 6-foot-9 players can hit nine three-pointers in a single game? Well not many, but that’s what Shurna did this past Sunday against Eastern Illinois. In fact, the senior from Glen Ellyn, Illinois hit six long balls in the first 12 minutes of the contest, giving Northwestern a lead that they never relinquished. Shurna was the second leading scorer in the Big Ten as a sophomore, only behind Evan Turner. As a junior, he suffered an ankle injury and concussion within a month span and never really got into the same rhythm that he had from earlier in the season. To say that he now looks like his old self would be an understatement. Shurna dropped a career-high 37 points on LSU back in November and is currently the Big Ten’s leading scorer at 19.5 points. Shurna is far from a selfish player though, and also contributes with 5.7 rebounds and 2.6 assists. Although his overall shooting percentage is not as high as Thomas, Shurna is hitting on over 43% of his three-point attempts on the season. He moved into fourth place on Northwestern’s All-Time scorer list with his 32-point performance on Sunday, surpassing three ex-Wildcat players scoring totals. Shurna has a funky delivery to his shot, but the fact of the matter is that his shots go in. Shurna is versatile in the ways that he can score, whether it is in the post, off the dribble, or launching three balls. He is also blocking 1.6 shots, a career-high for him. Shurna has improved by leaps and bounds since arriving in Evanston in 2008 and I believe that there is still room for him to improve as a player. Any NBA team would be lucky to have such a great scorer on their roster. If Shurna were to make the NBA, he would most likely transition from the power forward to the small forward position because of his NBA-range shooting ability.
Jared Berggren, center, Wisconsin Badgers
After redshirting one season and then playing the benchwarmer role for two more, Berggren has certainly surprised people in his new role. The redshirt junior from Minnesota (where most of UW’s best players come from), is averaging 12.3 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 0.9 assists as the starting center for Bo Ryan’s team. Berggren has scored in double figures in eight out of 12 games so far, and has not scored below seven points in any contest. He is shooting 54.2% from the field and over 40% from three- point range, reminding Badger fans of Keaton Nankivil. Berggren is deceptively athletic and has been able to handle the enormous increase in playing time, which currently stands at 26.6 minutes. Berggren plays on the low block more than the three players above, but can be found on the perimeter as well as part of the Swing Offense. Unlike the other three players above though, talks of Berggren’s game translating to the next level have been quiet but mainly because he is only now emerging as a force. If he can continue to improve at the rate he is now then playing in the NBA one day is certainly not out of the question for him, although it won’t be easy either. Any fantasy owner that has been able to snag Berggren for their team is certainly lucky though, given that his statistics were virtually nonexistent prior to this season.
Meyers Leonard, center, Illinois Fighting Illini
Leonard is the definition of an athletic big man. In fact, he is so athletic that he could be a lottery pick in the upcoming NBA Draft. That is unless he decides to come back to Champaign and try to improve his draft stock even more. Leonard only played 8.2 minutes as a freshman, because of senior big men Mike Davis and Mike Tisdale. As a sophomore though, Leonard’s role on the team has changed dramatically. He is the Fighting Illini’s lone presence on the inside, both offensively and defensively. Leonard’s current statistics stand at 12.8 points, 7.1 rebounds, and 1.3 assists, while also swatting over two shots per game. He runs the floor incredibly well and can play major minutes without getting winded, although foul trouble has been an issue at times with him. Leonard got the best of Robert Sacre on Dec. 3 in Champaign, in what was a huge win for the overachieving Illini. He struggled this past Saturday at the United Center against UNLV though, shooting 1-for-6 from the charity stripe. Focus seems to be an issue with Leonard, who has received multiple technical fouls in his brief career. Without consistent production from Leonard, Illinois will get beaten up on the inside in Big Ten play. But if Leonard can continue to play the way he has for the majority of the beginning of this season, then Illinois could be one of the surprise teams in the entire nation.
Here are the other five big men that deserve recognition:
Cody Zeller, freshman forward, Indiana Hoosiers
Jared Sullinger, forward/center, Ohio State Buckeyes
Robbie Hummel, forward, Purdue Boilermakers
Evan Smotrycz, forward, Michigan Wolverines
Brian Diaz, center, Nebraska Cornhuskers