The Five Most Interesting Players in Basketball Right Now

Russell Westbrook

Russell Westbrook
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Is there anyone more fascinating in sports right now than Russell Westbrook? With Kevin Durant missing extended time this season, Westbrook has stepped up this year, especially recently. The 2015 All-Star Game MVP has average a triple-double over the last five games with 30.6 points per game, 11.8 assists per game, and 10.6 rebounds per game. In the last two games alone, he has taken 70 shots and 30 free throws. He has not been a one-man wrecking crew (Serge Ibaka has averaged 17.2 points and 9.0 boards and Enes Kanter has averaged 15.8 points and 9.0 rebounds over the last five games), but he has been playing on a whole another level. While that has not translated to wins, OKC lost the last two games where Westbrook had over 30 shots, it has made Westbrook mesmerizing to watch.

Any of the Top Players on Kentucky

Devin Booker. Willie Cauley-Stein. Aaron Harrison. Andrew Harrison. Dakari Johnson. Marcus Lee. Trey Lyles. Karl-Anthony Towns. Tyler Ulis. Take your pick of any of these nine players as the most interesting on the team and, therefore, one of the most interesting in all of men's college basketball. If I were to pick one, I may pick Trey Lyles because he was the number two power forward in the Class of 2014 recruiting class, yet he is the starting small forward on the Wildcats and is playing the position at an exceptionally high level. Or Willie Cauley-Stein, the junior, who has come into his own on the offensive end of the court. Or Karl-Anthony Towns, the elite freshman who is dominant when he plays, evident by his per 40 minutes and per 100 possession stats. Or Devin Booker, who is a really good player who can score the basketball. Even players who are not currently on Kentucky but were previouslyare some of the most fascinating (a.k.a. Kyle Wiltjer of Gonzaga, the former Kentucky player and National Champion, who transferred after winning the 2012-13 SEC Sixth Man of the Year and is now one of the best players in the country).

Nina Davis

Nina Davis
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The best player on the one of the best teams in women's college basketball, Nina Davis is an intimidating threat in the post. The Baylor sophomore is averaging 20.6 points per game and 8.7 rebounds per game. Baylor was 26-1 heading into this week. However, they lost to Oklahoma 68-64 on Wednesday and to Iowa State 76-71 today. Both are good teams, but they are not on Baylor's level. Davis had 20 points and 11 rebounds against the Sooners and  16 and 5 against the Cyclones. While she played well in these games, she needs to keep up the good work. The Bears have one more game against Texas Tech before the conference tournament. They are going to need big games out of Davis to be successful in the conference tournament before going to the NCAA Tournament. If they lose against Texas Tech and/or in the conference tournament, the Bears may be in for an upset early in the NCAA Tournament.

Reggie Jackson

Jackson, the former disgruntled Thunder backup, is now running point in Detroit. Even with a 23-36 record, the Pistons are only one game out of the eighth seed in the east and have the talent with big men Greg Monroe and Andre Drummond, and Jackson to be a tough eight seed. For them to reach the playoffs, Jackson has to play like the player he believes he is. In his four games for Detroit, he has 16.0 points per game, 6.5 assists per game, and 5.3 rebounds per game in 32.3 minutes of action. However, his PER is 12.3, he shot a dismal 5-24 against the Knicks on Friday, and then shot 4-12 on Saturday and played less minutes than backup Spencer Dinwiddie. While Jackson wants to be the man, he has to take a backseat to Drummond and Monroe and work with them. He can be main guard, but he has to allow Drummond and Monroe to be "the guys" on the team. If he can do this, the Pistons should be the eight seed. But it is easier said than done with Jackson, making this a fascinating storyline for the rest of year.

Jahlil Okafor

Jahlil Okafor
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Okafor is one of the two best players in college basketball with Wisconsin's Frank Kaminsky. What makes Okafor a more interesting player is that he is a freshman, the projected number one pick in the NBA Draft, and his amazing skill set. If you watched Duke's game vs. Virginia on Wednesday, you saw the greatness of Okafor. He scored 30 points on 13-18 shooting (albeit 4-9 from the charity stripe) and nine rebounds. He dominated and manhandled the Hokies in the post. Okafor was absolutely unstoppable. While he was not as great against Syracuse today, he still managed to score 14 points and grab 13 boards. Okafor did shoot only 1-7 from the free throw line, which seems to be his only liability. Okafor is going to make a name for himself as the calendar turns to March