Michael Ajayi could be even better than Gonzaga fans had hoped

The Pepperdine transfer showed up big at Kraziness in the Kennel. Just how excited for his debut should Gonzaga fans be?

I’ve made it a habit to pore over the box score after every Gonzaga game. And after most games last year, I would find myself stunned at just how well Anton Watson had actually played that night. Watson usually had far more points, rebounds, assists, and/or steals than I realized while watching the broadcast. He was often the best player on the floor by far without me even noticing. He would absolutely stuff the stat sheet, but in an unassuming way. That’s just the kind of player Anton was—more likely to show up in the record books than on the highlight reels.

Pepperdine transfer Michael Ajayi, Watson’s presumed replacement in this season’s starting lineup, is a different kind of player. In his lone season at Pepperdine, Ajayi also stuffed the stats sheet, but it wasn’t hard to notice, nor was it controversial to assert that Ajayi was the best player on the floor, even without looking at his stats.

To sum up his performance last year, Ajayi led the WCC in scoring (17.2 points per game) and 3-point percentage (47%). He finished second in the WCC in rebounds per game (9.9), fourth in minutes per game (34.7), notched a double-double in 17 of 33 games, scored 15+ points in 21 games, and grabbed 10+ rebounds in 19. He was named to the All-WCC First Team and earned an invite to the NBA Draft Combine in Chicago. In one of the combine’s scrimmages, Ajayi led his team in scoring (14 points in 18 minutes off the bench) while in the other he put up 9 points, 7 rebounds, and 4 assists. He also recorded a 7-foot wingspan and a 34.5-inch vertical along the way.

Expectations were high for Ajayi at Gonzaga’s annual Kraziness in the Kennel scrimmage this year, and Ajayi did not disappoint. In just under 16 minutes of action, Ajayi put up 9 points, 8 rebounds, and 2 assists. He defended well on the perimeter and inside, played hard through contact, connected from outside, scored off the dribble, and displayed exceptional vision in transition. He played on the wing and the low block at various points in the game, just like Anton, and did exactly what his predecessor was known for: being the most valuable player on the floor, whether you noticed it or not.

In the spirit of some preseason number-crunching fun, why not do a little compare/contrast to hype ourselves up for Ajayi’s official Gonzaga debut?

During WCC play last season, Anton Watson averaged 32.4 minutes per game and contributed 14 points and 6.8 rebounds. Meanwhile, during the same stretch of the season, and against the same WCC competition, Michael Ajayi averaged 36 minutes per game for Pepperdine and put up 16.4 points and 9.4 rebounds per game. If we convert Ajayi’s numbers into the 32.4 minutes of playing time Anton averaged, Ajayi could have been expected to average 14.8 points and 8.5 rebounds per game—a bit above Anton’s scoring average, while significantly besting him in rebounding. Ajayi’s impressive rebounding in the Kraziness scrimmage certainly speaks to his abilities in this department, and it’s fair to assume that it will once again lead to plenty of double-doubles for the Zags this year.

The raw data obviously doesn’t tell the whole story, but it’s still exciting to consider how big of a contributor Ajayi could be for the Zags when given an opportunity like Anton’s.

That said, Ajayi is unlikely to see “Anton minutes” this year. With veteran Ben Gregg entering his senior season, newly added depth in the backcourt, and the new-and-improved Dusty Stromer ready to contribute off the bench, the Zags won’t need Ajayi to play as many minutes as Anton did, and certainly not as many as he did at Pepperdine last year.

Gonzaga assistant coach R-Jay Barsh has referred to Ajayi as a “junkyard dog,” a hard-nosed competitor eager to hop in the trenches and prove himself. His new Gonzaga teammates have expressed shock at how polished his skills and shot-making ability already are. NBA scouts have praised his high motor, body control, and his ability to defend at multiple levels. Ajayi himself has said he’s just happy for the chance to contribute however he can.

Like Anton, Ajayi is a humble, soft-spoken guy. But with numbers like those he put up at Pepperdine and Kraziness in the Kennel he’ll be tough to miss this year.

For more on Ajayi, check out my previous article on what exactly he could contribute to the Bulldogs this year, and for just another reason to be excited about the college basketball season, check out the video below.