What Will It Take For Garza To Win The Top National Awards He Missed Last Season?
Luka Garza won national player of the year awards from six outlets last season.
But the Iowa center missed out on some of the top awards, including the Naismith and Wooden awards.
It won’t be easy for Garza to win those in his final season with the Hawkeyes.
After all, it takes a lot to join the likes of Kevin Durant, Blake Griffin, Anthony Davis, and Zion Williamson.
But if last season is any indication, Garza possesses the talent, tools, and work ethic to make it happen.
A look at what Garza will face this season, along with the things he has going for him:
Challenges
Arguably, the most important thing that led to Dayton’s Obi Toppin earning the Naismith National Player of the Year honor over Garza last season was the Flyers’ standing in the national rankings.
Many considered Dayton one of the best teams in the country in 2019-20, and their No. 3 ranking to close the season proves that.
It didn’t matter that Garza outperformed Toppin in the most important statistical categories. The Flyers held something the Hawkeyes didn’t: a rock-solid spot in the top 10.
That’s where things start to look up for Garza entering the new season.
Iowa sits tied for the ninth-best odds to win the 2020 NCAA Tournament at 20/1, according to William Hill. Before Garza decided to return, William Hill had the Hawkeyes at 25/1.
Now, Garza finds himself in the same position as Toppin last season — the leader of a squad that’s expected to be a top-five team for the duration of the season.
That’s exactly what Garza needs.
Since 2006, only two players — Dayton’s Toppin and BYU’s Jimmer Fredette — have won the award from schools that weren’t necessarily considered a college basketball powerhouse at one point or another.
Despite reaching as high as No. 3 in the AP Poll during the 2015-16 season, Iowa has never really held that status.
Similar things happen in the NBA during the MVP race.
If Nikola Jokic outperforms Anthony Davis statistically, but the Lakers are the No. 1 seed and Denver is the No. 4, there’s reasonable expectation that Davis would earn MVP over Jokic.
That’s what comes with playing in Los Angeles. In college basketball, that’s what comes with playing for Duke, Villanova, or Kentucky.
If that’s the case, Iowa would have to be a top-10 team for the majority of the season. Luckily for Garza, that’s a strong possibility.
With Garza, Iowa essentially returns seven players with starting experience.
Jordan Bohannon and Joe Wieskamp have shown they can carry the team when they get hot from deep, and CJ Fredrick showed the same capability after leading the Big Ten in 3-point shooting a year ago.
Add stretch-four Jack Nunge into the lineup, along with Connor McCaffery and Joe Toussaint, and the Big Ten very well could run through Iowa City.
To win the Naismith, Garza would still have to outshine his teammates, of course, and even though that’s not something Garza will be concerned with, it should happen night in and night out if last season is any indication.
If the Hawkeyes can handle the grind of arguably the best conference in college basketball, they will set Garza up even more for postseason award success.
While the team’s standing could change, Toppin’s game showed something Garza’s didn’t: flash.
Garza isn’t a flashy player.
Last season, Toppin’s dunks could be found all over social media with ease. Garza’s highlights? Not so much.
While highlight plays certainly shouldn’t be the foundation of any award voting, they don’t hurt to have.
That’s why it will be even more important for Garza to add to what he did last season.
Last year, Garza scored at least 20 points in 16 consecutive Big Ten games. He got better as the season went on, averaging 26.2 points per game in conference play, becoming the first Big Ten player since Glenn Robinson in 1994 to average at least 26 points in Big Ten contests.
He might not be throwing down Toppin-like dunks on Twitter, but those numbers should count for something. Especially if he can do it again.
Positives
Luckily for Garza, he already has experience putting up monster numbers on the way to becoming a frontrunner for the national player of the year awards.
Garza put up more points per game last season than any Naismith winner since 2016 and more rebounds per game than any winner since 2012.
For comparison, when Wisconsin’s Frank Kaminsky won the Naismith in 2015, he averaged 18.8 points, 8.2 rebounds, and 2.6 assists per game, while shooting 41.6 percent from beyond the arc.
Similarly, Kentucky’s Davis recorded 14.2 points, 10.4 rebounds, and 1.3 assists per game, but his 186 total blocks made him stand out.
Garza is right there with both of them in most areas.
Last season, Garza scored 23.9 points — along with the 26.2 mark in conference play — grabbed 9.8 rebounds, and dished out 1.8 assists, while shooting 35.8 percent from deep and swatting away 55 shots.
Toppin, who won the award over Garza, dropped 20.0 points, 7.5 rebounds, and 2.2 assists per game, while shooting 39 percent from deep and blocking 38 shots in the A-10.
Garza has proven he can put up huge numbers in a tough conference.
While Garza will surely be the focus of every opposing team’s scouting report, opponents can’t solely focus on him.
Iowa has too many players who can shoot. It has too many players who can score.
It’s not going to be easy for Garza to put up the same stats, but then again, he was already the main focus of opponents during the second half of the 2019-20 season. He still found a way to get his buckets at an even better clip.
Every Naismith Award finalist from last season — except for Garza — is gone as well.
Toppin left for the NBA Draft. Kansas’ Udoka Azuibuike, Oregon’s Payton Pritchard, and Seton Hall’s Myles Powell were all seniors.
Before Garza announced his decision to return to Iowa, Oklahoma State’s Cade Cunningham was the favorite to win the Naismith according to OddsShark.
Then, USC’s Evan Mobley and Duke’s Jalen Johnson followed.
What do all three have in common? They have never played in a college basketball game. In fact, the first 12 favorites listed have never played a minute of college basketball.
Granted, it’s difficult to create a list of favorites when there are so many question marks surrounding players’ decisions to enter the NBA Draft, but that still bodes well for Garza.
As a senior, Garza has three years of experience with one of those coming as a top player in the nation.
This season, a conference tournament and NCAA Tournament will play a key role.
If those tournaments were played in 2020, it’s very possible Garza or Toppin could have considerably separated himself from the other. Maybe Iowa makes a run and Dayton loses early. Or maybe it’s the other way around.
The point is, having these postseason tournaments will likely make the decision as to who is more deserving easier.
Iowa may have an advantage there, as it will be very difficult for teams to prepare for Garza and the Hawkeyes’ shooting ability in a short time span.
Because it’s not just Garza, the team aspect will help a lot.
If the Hawkeyes can find ways to win in a conference like the Big Ten and Garza can still put up the gaudy numbers he did last season, there will be no way to overlook him this time around.
