Andy Katz has tabbed Paul Scruggs as a breakout player

First, the news:

Okay, great for Paul for getting some national recognition, but... he posted 12.7/4.5/2.9 on a bubble team in one of the toughest conferences in the nation last year. He was the only consistent offensive threat on the team from outside of layup range, and he also doubled as a junkyard dog of a perimeter defender on the other end.

As the team proved in the last three games of the year, he may not have been the best player on the team (though he may have), but they sure couldn't win without him.

I think there's a little bit of Big East disrespect here, and fellow BE player Jeremiah Robinson-Earl nearly averaged a double-double last season. Paul's numbers stand above pretty much everyone else on the list though; none of the other players were within two points of his scoring average.

The positive spin is that, if Scruggs is going to "break out" from where he is, he's going to drop an absolute monster senior season. I can see it; surrounded by a promising cast of supporting characters - including some who can even shoot! - he may have more room to operate and less obligation to play out of position than he did last season.

I reserve the right to question anyone who would see a big year from Paul as a breakout, though. He has consistently been as advertised for X, and an all-league level performance would simply be the crescendo of a strong career.