You don’t have to be a college basketball savant to have heard about Cooper Flagg. The Duke Blue Devils star has been the most talked-about player in the nation this season.
As such, he’s unsurprisingly leading the race to be named Playe of the Year. Nevertheless, renowned NCAA analyst Rob Dauster believes that Purdue star Braden Smith also deserves to be in that conversation.
The Boilermakers are 19-5 for the season, and Dauster believes it all has to do with Smith’s stellar playmaking. He even thinks he’s the best point guard in the nation right now.
Analyst says Braden Smith is as impactful as Cooper Flagg
“Purdue is the No. 7 team in the country, guys. They beat USC 90-72. It was a little bit of a blowout,” Dauster said. “There’s really not that much exciting to talk about from the actual game beyond the fact that Braden Smith looks like the best point guard in America and is, like, sneakily putting himself in a conversation for National Player of the Year.”
Of course, he admitted that he’s still not on Flagg’s level. Nevertheless, he wouldn’t mind putting him right behind him and Auburn’s Johni Broome right now:
“I still think that he’s third on that list, but it’s not third by a huge gap,” Dauster said. “He’s been as impactful as Cooper Flagg. Over the last six weeks, he’s been as impactful as Cooper Flagg and Johni Broome. I have no problem saying that.“
Smith has been on a tear this season. He’s been his team’s second-leading scorer and rebounder at 16.1 points and 4.6 rebounds per game, all while handing out a team-best 8.8 dimes per contest.