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National Player of the Year rankings: Can RJ Barrett overtake Zion Williamson?

By Jacob Lane

LOUISVILLE, KY - FEBRUARY 12: Zion Williamson #1 and RJ Barrett #5 of the Duke Blue Devils warm up before the game against the Louisville Cardinals at KFC YUM! Center on February 12, 2019 in Louisville, Kentucky. Duke came from behind to win 71-69. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images)
LOUISVILLE, KY - FEBRUARY 12: Zion Williamson #1 and RJ Barrett #5 of the Duke Blue Devils warm up before the game against the Louisville Cardinals at KFC YUM! Center on February 12, 2019 in Louisville, Kentucky. Duke came from behind to win 71-69. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images) /
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DURHAM, NC – MARCH 02: RJ Barrett #5 of the Duke Blue Devils looks on in the second half of their game against the Miami Hurricanes at Cameron Indoor Stadium on March 2, 2019 in Durham, North Carolina. Duke won 87-57. (Photo by Lance King/Getty Images)
DURHAM, NC – MARCH 02: RJ Barrett #5 of the Duke Blue Devils looks on in the second half of their game against the Miami Hurricanes at Cameron Indoor Stadium on March 2, 2019 in Durham, North Carolina. Duke won 87-57. (Photo by Lance King/Getty Images) /

Is the National Player of the Year still Zion Williamson’s to lose or has his knee injury opened the door for his teammate, RJ Barrett, to steal it?

It was quite an entertaining weekend all across college basketball as teams and players fought for their spot in the tournament and for their chance at grabbing a prestigious post-season award. None more important than the 2019 National Player of the Year award.

Last week, we unveiled the first edition of the National Player of the Year rankings, with Zion Williamson leading the way – even with a knee injury keeping him out. The race hasn’t been close at all for the majority of the season due to the jaw-dropping play of the freshman sensation.

With Williamson missing both of Duke’s games this week, the race really opened up for the taking. Contenders, Markus Howard, RJ Barrett, PJ Washington, Ja Morant all had a chance to make a statement with Williamson on the sidelines and move up the rankings with a few more weeks to go.

Could they do it? Let’s take a look at how this past week of basketball impacted the rankings.

Honorable mention – Guys who have made a blip on the radar this season but aren’t quite ready to crack the top five.

  • Cam Johnson – North Carolina
  • Rui Hachimura – Gonzaga
  • De’Andre Hunter – Virginia
  • Coby White – North Carolina
  • PJ Washington – Kentucky (Came in at No. 5 last week)
  • Cassius Winston – Michigan State