The Zags are 2-0, ranked in the top 5, have the season-expectation-setting victory against the Baylor Bears and the season-expectation-correction victory over the Arizona State Sun Devils.
Two games in, we can officially whole-heartedly declare, that things officially can be called a trend. And through two games, there is a lot to unpack, some of which very well could have season-long implications, and much of which will just be gibberish.
Ryan Nembhard is the best point guard in college hoops
There are currently 19 players in college hoops who have at least 20 assists. Of those 19, the Zags’ senior point guard, who has 22, leads the pack with a mere two turnovers. He is currently posting an 11:1 assist-to-turnover ratio, an absolutely absurd number that is clearly unsustainable.
We shouldn’t expect Nembhard to just finish with a turnover per night, although that would be grand. We probably also shouldn’t expect him to finish with 11 assists per night either. However, both those numbers *shouldn’t* be pretty stellar throughout the year.
I’ve thought that Nembhard is basically set up to break his own single-season assists record at GU because this year, he hits the ground running with a team he is largely familiar with.
His point total hasn’t been very much, but the Zags have not needed him for that. What is most important is how their floor general runs the show on the offensive end, and so far, he has done it better than anyone in the nation.
Introducing the new face of Gonzaga in….Braden Huff?
There is probably some sicko gambling degenerate out there holding a million-dollar ticket that states Braden Huff would be leading the Zags in points through two games.
I blinked once, then twice, then three times, then rubbed my eyes for good measure to make sure, but low and behold, Huff’s 17.5 points per game are currently the best. Fourteen points against Baylor and 21 points against Arizona State will do that.
Huff isn’t going to lead the Zags in scoring this year by any real measure. However, seeing this offensive potential is salivating, because this is the step we needed to see from the sophomore big man.
(Also, the zero turnovers is rather nice.)
There was a lot of hype for Huff coming off his redshirt year. Drew Timme hyped him up as the next big thing. During Huff’s freshman year, he halfway delivered. Against lesser competition, he dominated. Against better competition, he wavered.
The Zags don’t need Huff to lead them in scoring. But if he is able to chip in 10 or so points per game consistently, with the potential for a few more, and that is coming off the bench, the nation’s best offense stays the nation’s best offense.
Michael Ajayi is on the verge of being a double-double machine
Against Baylor, the senior transfer had nine points and 8 rebounds and he followed that up with 9 points and 12 rebounds against Arizona State. Ajayi is currently averaging nine points and 10 rebounds a game, and watching the way he attacks the glass, we should not be surprised.
Last season, Ajayi’s DR% of 28.2 was the 12th-highest mark in the country. He is going to lead Gonzaga in rebounds per game this season, no questions. Assuming he gets a few more shot attempts in as well (he only attempted five field goals against Baylor), there is a good chance that Ajayi becomes the first Zag since Domantas Sabonis in the 2015-16 season to average a double-double.
Personally, I’d put money on that bet, and that is a big deal in this modern Gonzaga era. Prior to Sabonis, the last player to average a double-double was Paul Cathey in 1977-78.