Drew Timme for NPOY

Alright, yes. Luka Garza is the favorite to win the Wooden Award and be named the National Player of the Year. But Drew Timme needs some recognition. He was fantastic in his last outing at San Francisco. 28 points on a near-perfect shooting performance (11-12 FG), 10 rebounds, 2 blocks. He was also stretching out the floor while going 2-2 from beyond the arc. That’s Drew Timme, the 6’10” three-point specialist.

The big man from Richardson, Texas has put up some spectacular averages so far this year with 19.4 PPG on 64 FG% and even 42.9 3P%. He also is grabbing 7.3 RPG. Timme is now the team’s leader in both scoring and rebounding while moving past Corey Kispert and Joel Ayayi, respectively. Those two guys were leading in those categories for most of the season so for Timme to surpass them at the twenty-game mark speaks to how fantastic Drew has been playing game in and game out.

Timme’s 64% from the field is also the highest on the team. To be the leader in all those different categories on not only the top team in the land but the team with the best offense just shows how much he stands out from the rest of the pack. Having better numbers than stars like Kispert, Suggs, and Ayayi means you’re a very special player.

So where does Drew Timme excel over Luka Garza the most? Well, he’s a more consistent shooter. Timme ranks 9th in the nation for field goal percentage while Garza is 39th (56.2%). He also has an almost identical three-point shooting percentage with Garza (43.1%).

Another aspect to look at is Timme’s defense. He is a vital part of one of the top defenses in the country thanks to his foot speed and overall effort on that side of the floor. Compare that to Garza. You could argue that he is holding back the Iowa defense. I’ve seen moments where Coach McCaffery has pulled Luka on the defensive end during crunch time. Few would never do that with Timme.

If we were making the decision for the best player in the land after the last three games, Drew Timme would be the favorite for the award. Here are Drew Timme’s stats since debuting the “Fu Manchu” on February 4th: 23.0 points per game, 27-36 FG (75%), 9.3 rebounds per game, 1.3 blocks per game. As long as he keeps the ‘stache long and strong, his season stats look to continue to uptick each game as he inches closer to Luka Garza’s numbers.

I wish the voters would put personality and how well player’s celebrations are into their decision. If that were the case, then Drew Timme would definitely run away with the trophy. The big fella is so entertaining to watch and he has the most fun on the court out of everyone.

Here’s something to leave you with and to think about. If you want to look at how voters are deciding the NBA MVP, where you stand in the playoff picture matters. Joel Embiid and LeBron James are getting more recognition than Steph Curry because their respective teams are higher in the standings as of right now. Should Wooden Award voters be taking team rankings and overall records into factor when making their decision?

Drew Timme will be receiving some love and getting some votes for the Wooden Award come April 4th when they announce the winner, that’s for sure.

Arden Cravalho is a Gonzaga University graduate from the Bay Area... Follow him on Twitter @a_cravalho