Louisville basketball: Jordan Nwora worthy of All-ACC recognition

As the ACC basketball season is concluding, Louisville basketball’s Jordan Nwora is more than deserving of being named to an all-ACC team, and winning an ACC award.

Louisville basketball forward Jordan Nwora has helped spearhead an overachieving Cardinals squad when the season was supposed to be a year of rebuilding, and should make an All-ACC team and win most improved player of the year.

During the 2017-2018 season, Nwora averaged 5.7 points per game and averaged 1.7 rebounds in 12 minutes per game. During the offseason he developed his game playing for the Nigerian National team and improved in many facets to lead Louisville past expectations.

Louisville (19-11, 10-7 ACC) has exceeded preseason expectations of finishing 11th in the ACC by currently being 6th in the ACC at 10-7 due to the combination of excellent coaching from Chris Mack and the overall play of Nwora.

Nwora has led this season full of highs and lows as Louisville spent five weeks in the AP poll top 25. Louisville at one point during the season was a contender for the ACC regular season title prior to six tough games causing the Cardinals to drop six out of nine.

The sophomore wing is deserving of membership to the All-ACC second team. He is 5th in the ACC in scoring at 17.2 points per game with 7.2 rebounds per game (which is  top 10 in the ACC in rebounds per gam) and has recorded eight double doubles this season. All of this has capitulated Nwora to be in the discussion as a potential first round NBA prospect.

There are only two forwards who average more points per game than Nwora in Zion Williamson and R.J. Barrett. I don’t know if you have heard of them but the Duke duo are likely to be the first two prospects drafted in the 2019 NBA draft. Those two deserve first team honors without question, which may limit the chances of landing Nwora on that list.

Nwora doesn’t shrink in big games either. He played at an high level against the best teams in the country. Against the No.5 team in the USA TODAY Coaches Poll in Tennessee, he scored 23 points and registered 10 rebounds on 53 percent shooting. Against the No.4 team in the USA TODAY Coaches Poll in Duke, he produced another standout performance with 23 points and 12 rebounds on 16 shots while draining five 3-pointers. And against the No.3 team in the USA TODAY Coaches Poll, he led Louisville to a road victory while scoring 17 points and draining five 3-pointers.

He has produced a 32 point game against Boston College on 16 shots while shooting 75% from the floor and grabbing 10 rebounds. That was fifth highest point total in a single game in the ACC this season.

The analytics support Nwora’s strong individual season. His player efficiency rating is 21.2 (15th in the ACC) and his defensive win share is 2.0 (10th in the ACC).

This explosion of offense and rebounding while leading his team to the ACC tournament, along with an NCAA berth is all-ACC worthy.