Kansas' Hunter Dickinson Ranks Top 5 in KenPom Player of Year Standings

The analytics love the Jayhawks' big man, who checked in at No. 4 on Ken Pomeroy's POY list

Nov 30, 2024; Lawrence, Kansas, USA; Kansas Jayhawks center Hunter Dickinson (1) looks to pass against Furman Paladins forward Cooper Bowser (21) during the first half at Allen Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images / Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images

Ken Pomeroy’s rankings are known for being all-important to the NCAA committee in March, as the system uses play-by-play and box score data, along with strength of schedule, to measure teams' offensive and defensive efficiencies and create objective, analytics-driven rankings.

What you may not know, however, is that KenPom uses a similar algorithm to measure individual players' offensive and defensive efficiencies, and subsequently their total impact on the game. That data is then used to compile the KenPom Player of the Year rankings. 

Through nine games, Kansas center Hunter Dickinson ranks fourth on that list, making him the highest-ranked Big 12 player and one of only two players from the conference to make the top 10 (Iowa State’s Keshon Gilbert stands at No. 8).

Heading into the season, expectations were high for the Jayhawks – evident in its preseason No. 1 ranking – and for its driving force in Dickinson, who last season earned second-team All-American honors.

And through their first seven games, KU and Dickinson certainly fit the bill.

Knocking off North Carolina, No. 21 Michigan State and No. 4 Duke (all rankings current), the Jayhawks successfully defended their No. 1 ranking, led by none other than their 7-foot-2 transfer from Michigan.

Dickinson put up a double-double against both UNC and Michigan State, and was well on his way to another in the Duke game before being ejected on an inflammatory play.  

Hunter Dickinson put together a strong first half 💪

The center tallied half of Kansas' total points 😲 @brhoops @KUHoops pic.twitter.com/L39g8Ow74E

— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) November 13, 2024

In his last two games, however, Dickinson has seemingly hit a wall, mustering only six points and eight rebounds against Creighton while following up with 19 points and 14 rebounds against Missouri (but also coughing up a costly seven turnovers).

The Jayhawks are still following the lead of their star – only this time in the wrong direction. Kansas fell to both the Bluejays and the Tigers, sliding from the top spot to No. 10 in the AP poll.

Even after those stumbles, though, Dickinson is putting up an impressive 15.0 points (on an efficient 54.5 percent from the field) and 9.6 rebounds, while adding more than a steal and a block per game on the defensive end.

Once Kansas rights the ship and its big man rediscovers his rhythm, Dickinson is more than capable of climbing to the top of KenPom’s Player of the Year rankings and, at the same time, likely making a run at a similar but even more prestigious honor: the Naismith Player of the Year Award.

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