Thus far this SEC season, the freshman class has been one of the headlines of what figures to be one of the best seasons in recent memory for the conference.
From Kentucky’s always strong class, to the individual star freshmen such as Alabama’s Collin Sexton, Georgia’s Rayshaun Hammonds, and Mississippi State’s Nick Weatherspoon, this group has been very impactful for every SEC team in one way or another.
Here’s a look at which freshmen have been the most impactful each of the 14 teams.
Alabama: Collin Sexton (G)
An argument can be made for John Petty, who hit a school-record 10 three’s in one game against Alabama A&M. Another argument can be made for Herbert Jones, who has been one of the best individual defenders for the Crimson Tide.
However, it’s hard to argue against Collin Sexton in this spot.
The man almost beat a top-15 team while playing three-on-five, scoring 40 points against Minnesota, which definitely counts a lot for this competition.
Sexton has been outstanding this season in leading the SEC scoring by averaging 21.8 points, 3.6 rebounds, and 3.3 assists per game and has been the primary ball-handler and defender for a Crimson Tide team that has played one of the toughest schedules in the country.
Sexton makes the Tide go on both ends of the floor, and he is a special player that should be one of the top picks in the 2018 NBA Draft.
Arkansas: Daniel Gafford (F)
A former 4-star recruit and the top 2016 player in the state of Arkansas, the 6-11 Gafford has been one of the top players for the Hogs, leading the team in rebounding at 5.9 per game, as well as being the third-leading scorer at 12.2 points per game.
Gafford excels at scoring on the block, which complements the outside scoring prowess of Daryl Macon and Jaylen Barford, and was one of the questions for the Arkansas squad coming into the season following the loss of Moses Kingsley to the professional ranks.
The big man will need to continue to be that dominating force inside for the Razorbacks if they want to return to the NCAA Tournament for the second consecutive season, which would be the first time that Arkansas has made the tournament in back-to-back seasons since the 2006 and 2007 seasons.
Auburn: Chuma Okeke (F)
The Tigers have needed increased production across the board with the indefinite suspensions of Austin Wiley and Danjel Purifoy, who are still tied up in the FBI investigation into college basketball.
With Wiley and Purifoy both being crucial in the frontcourt, finding that forward production from the depth of the Tigers’ roster has been crucial to their hot 9-1 start.
Okeke has provided that depth and production, averaging 8.8 points and 5.5 rebounds per game off the bench for the Tigers. His raw stats don’t tell the whole story, however, as he averages a double-double per 40 minutes, which illustrates how impactful he is on the court from the bench.
Okeke is also a capable floor-spacer from behind the arc, which will be very important for the Tigers to have down the road if and when Wiley and Purifoy return to the lineup.
Florida: Deaundre Ballard (G)
The 6-5 guard from Atlanta was the second-highest rated player in the Florida class behind Chase Johnson, but Ballard has clearly had the bigger impact thus far.
He has posted the fifth-highest scoring average on the team at 7.3 points per game, while being the first guard off the bench for the Gators.
This team is deep at the guard position with the likes of Egor Koulechov, Jalen Hudson, Chris Chiozza, and KeVaughn Allen all starting for Mike White’s squad, so for the Gators to have a bench guard that can score with limited opportunities is a luxury item for White to work into his rotation.
Look for Ballard to continue to play an important role as the primary bench scorer in his limited minutes.
Georgia: Rayshaun Hammonds (F)
The fifth-highest-ranked player in the state of Georgia behind the likes of Collin Sexton, Wendell Carter, M.J. Walker, and Chuma Okeke, Hammonds has been a very important contributor for the Bulldogs.
He is currently averaging 8.0 points per game, which is good for third on the team behind preseason All-SEC forward Yante Maten and guard Turtle Jackson. Hammonds is also the second-leading rebounder at 5.3 per game, only behind Maten, as well as having the second-highest three-point shooting percentage behind Jackson.
Hammonds has been crucial for the Bulldogs this season scoring the basketball, so continuing to find that consistent third threat to supplement Maten and Jackson is vital to Georgia’s success in SEC play.
Kentucky: Kevin Knox (F)
I’m picking Knox here because he’s the leading scorer of the freshmen at Kentucky, but honestly, any of Knox, Quade Green, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Hamidou Diallo, PJ Washington, and Nick Richards have an argument to be the best freshman on the Kentucky squad that has become synonymous with youth and inexperience.
Knox leads the group in scoring, averaging 15.8 points and 5.7 rebounds on high efficiency as a 6-9 forward with high-level offensive ability both around the basket and from behind the three-point line.
If Knox can continue his high level of play, look for him to continue the long line of Kentucky prospects to leave school after their freshman seasons to be selected in the lottery of the NBA Draft.
LSU: Tremont Waters (G)
One of the biggest surprises in the SEC freshman class, Waters has been nothing short of spectacular for the Tigers.
He is averaging 18.2 points per game, which places him second amongst SEC freshmen in scoring behind Sexton and fifth overall in the conference. Waters is also averaging 6.3 assists per game, which leads the SEC.
There’s no doubt that he has been one of the best players in the SEC to this point, which has led to the early season success for the Tigers.
Waters’s ability to score and distribute has been instrumental to the Tigers’ success, and he will need to keep it up to sustain LSU’s strong play in Will Wade’s first season.
Ole Miss: Devontae Shuler (G)
Shuler has been the only freshman that has gotten real playing time for the Rebels, but he has been a key figure in their rotation in averaging 9.7 points in 21 minutes per game, which is good for fourth on the team.
The Rebels rely heavily on their guards, such as Terence Davis, Markel Crawford, Breein Tyree, and Memphis transfer Markel Crawford, so finding Shuler and plugging him in off of the bench has been very important for the continuity from the starting unit to the bench for Andy Kennedy.
Mississippi State: Nick Weatherspoon (G)
The brother of MSU standout junior guard Quinndary Weatherspoon, Nick has been spectacular as the other backcourt starter for the Bulldogs in averaging 11.0 points, 2.7 rebounds, and 2.6 assists per game.
He has been a quality starter on both ends for the Bulldogs, who have needed a secondary guard across from Quinndary, given the unexpected regression of sophomore guard Lamar Peters.
Weatherspoon needs to continue this positive growth for Mississippi State to compete in the SEC.
Missouri: Jontay Porter (F)
Obviously, Michael Porter Jr. was supposed to be one of the best freshmen in the country, but the back injury sustained just two minutes into his college career put those expectations on hold.
Instead, it’s been the play of Jontay that has been important to the Tigers’s hot start.
Jontay leads Missouri in rebounding at just over seven per game, and is fourth on the team in assists.
His impact on rebounding and playmaking at 6-11 is key to Missouri’s offensive game, and if Cuonzo Martin’s squad is going to make the NCAA Tournament, they’re going to need the continued production from the younger Porter.
South Carolina: Justin Minaya (F)
A smaller forward for the Gamecocks, Minaya has been one of the best scorers on the roster, placing third on the team with 10.8 points per game, as well as 4.5 rebounds while being one of the best perimeter defenders on the roster.
Minaya’s impact on the South Carolina roster is understated simply based on counting stats, however, he has been a very solid player defensively and routinely draws the best perimeter player on defense.
Frank Martin will need him to continue to perform at a high level when conference play rolls around if the Gamecocks want to get back to the NCAA Tournament.
Tennessee: John Fulkerson (F)
Unfortunately for this exercise, Tennessee doesn’t really play a ton of freshmen.
So we’re going to cheat a bit and go with a redshirt freshman in Fulkerson, who is averaging 10 minutes a game after suffering a dislocated elbow last season.
A 6-7 lefty forward, Fulkerson boasts a load of athletic ability, and as his career progresses, look for him to push for more minutes and gain a bigger role in Rick Barnes’ system for the Volunteers.
Texas A&M: TJ Starks (G)
A lot was made about the freshmen guards JJ Caldwell and Jay Jay Chandler for the Aggies, as well as forward Savion Flagg, but it’s been Starks that has been the best freshman this season on a team that, similar to Tennessee, doesn’t play too many freshmen in significant roles.
Starks is averaging 6.1 points per game in 15.3 minutes per contest.
And while he is stuck behind the likes of Admon Gilder and Duane Wilson, the recent injury to Gilder (which will sideline him for 2-3 weeks) will allow Starks to increase his role heading into SEC play.
Vanderbilt: Saben Lee (G)
The fourth-leading scorer for the Commodores at 9.2 points per game, Lee has been dynamic in the early part of the season.
His impact is also felt from a distribution standpoint, with Lee posting a 35.1 percent assist rate, which is elite for a point guard of any age, much less a freshman.
Lee’s distribution to shooters, such as Riley LaChance and Matthew Fisher-Davis, has been, and will continue to be, one of the most important aspects of his game and Vanderbilt’s continued success moving forward.