I wasn't planning on posting anything on this topic because, if people think preseason team rankings are pointless, individual player rankings must be totally unconscionable. I agree with this thought, as well, but find myself slightly fascinated by some of the top player rankings put out by some national organizations, including SB Nation. While I don't want to debate whether Kevin Pangos should be No. 22 rather than whatever number they have him at, I had this thought while reading over these:
This is going to be a really, really good team
I had that breakthrough (that could be too strong of a word) not because every Zag is ranked in the top 100 - they aren't - but because none of the national sites can agree on what Bulldogs should be on the list in general. Let's take a quick sample of the lists:
SB Nation:
Kevin Pangos (No. 47)
ESPN:
Przemek Karnowski (No. 79), Gary Bell (No. 78), Kyle Wiltjer (No. 76). Note: ESPN is staggering their list so Pangos will likely be ranked in the coming days
CBS:
Kevin Pangos (No. 26), Byron Wesley (No. 74)
I find this to be very fascinating. If I had more time to devote to going through the lists, I would love to see what (if any) other teams have their entire projected starting lineups in at least of these lists. I'm guessing Kentucky and Duke may be up there but can't imagine that many other teams can say this. Obviously, this means nothing for how the season is going to turn out but it just means this team has incredible depth and it should be a very diverse scoring team.
Unlike past seasons when Mark Few has had to lean on Pangos or Olynyk or Harris or whoever else to be on the court to take the meaningful shot, I think there are a whole host of options this season that can be called on. This should hopefully mean more rest for guys like Pangos and Bell that have a lot of wear and tear built up as well as a team that is more resilient to injuries. Many of us point to Gary Bell getting injured as a big reason why the Zags fell to Wichita State a couple years ago. This year's depth will hopefully eliminate that from being a talking point as we move through the year.