Dedric Lawson was voted the American Athletic Conference preseason Co-Player of the Year with Cincinnati’s guard, Troy Caupain.
At six-foot and nine, 228 pounds and more than seven foot wingspan, Dedric is a force in the paint. Add his ball skills and jumper, and he is arguably the best basketball player in the AAC.
After an impressive freshman season that featured 15.8 points and 9.3 rebounds per game, Dedric was rewarded with AAC Rookie of the Year, All Conference Second-team and Fist-team All Rookie.
He declared for the NBA draft at the end of last season, but decided to come back for his sophomore season. He planned on working out for several different teams, including the Grizzlies, but he made his decision to come back after a work out with the Lakers and not standing out at the combine.
Dedric, who led the Tigers in scoring and rebounding his freshman year, has improved his numbers greatly under head coach Tubby Smith.
Last season, he was near the top of many of the Tigers’ statistical categories, and this year he is at the top of the conference on many categories.
He leads the AAC in rebounds, free throws and two-point field goals. Dedric is in the top five in points and blocks. Dedric also leads the conference in advanced stats categories — such as player efficiency rating, points produced, win shares and plus/minus.
Last year, he tied Keith Lee’s freshman record of 17 double-doubles, and he already has 13 this season, which is tied for third in the nation.
Dedric does have some competition for the AAC Player of the Year, but their stats are not as impressive as his.
Caupain is filling stat sheets, but he has not improved on his numbers from last season. His shooting percentages are up from a year ago, but his scoring totals and assists are not.
Houston guard, Robert Gray Jr. is leading the conference in scoring, edging Dedric by 0.3 points per game. But Dedric is outperforming him in nearly every other area.
Dedric is not just putting up good stats, but his consistent play has the Tigers winning games. Because of the lack of depth for the Tigers, they rely on Dedric to carry the team at times.
In 13 games with a Dedric double-double, Memphis is 12-1, but they are 1-4 when he does not produce one.
Dedric is shooting 48.5 percent form the floor this season, but in games that he shoots under 40 percent, Memphis is 1-4. When he has a down game, the Tigers do not win often.
With the stats lining up and Memphis starting off well, Dedric is well on the way to becoming AAC Player of the Year.
Gray Jr. is the only player in the conference who can rival Dedric and push for the Player of the Year honor, but Lawson has the upper hand with the season more than half way finished.
Dedric Lawson (1) jumps to block a shot in the win against McNeese State. Lawson is third in the AAC with 51 blocks this season.
