2022-23 Stats: 7.9 PPG, 5.3 RPG, 0.9 APG, 0.5 SPG
2023-24 Stats: 24.0 PPG, 10.4 RPG, 1.6 APG, 1.4 SPG
Exploding from roughly eight points per game one season to around 24 points per game the following season is what Keegan Murray did for Iowa a few years ago.
In Murray's case, though, he was a backup as a freshman before stepping into a massive void left behind by the departures of Luka Garza and Joe Wieskamp. You're also talking about Iowa, where Fran McCaffery just keeps churning out high-scoring, poor-defending teams, no matter the roster construction. Not to downplay Murray's talent, but someone had to score those 83 points per game, and he was the primary benefactor.
With Jaedon Ledee, however, you're talking about a fifth-year senior becoming an offensive dynamo out of nowhere. And he's playing at a San Diego State program where defense has long been king; where there hasn't been an 18 PPG guy—let alone 24 PPG—since Brandon Heath in 2006-07.
Yes, the Aztecs lost several key players from last year's rotation, but there was no reason to expect Ledee to more than triple his scoring average.
His playing time has nearly doubled, but it's more than that. He's looking to create like never before. He's drawing fouls at one of the highest rates in the country. He has already made four three-pointers after going 0-for-16 from distance over the past four years. And he's still making a solid impact on defense, with at least two combined blocks and steals in each game thus far.
Simply put, Ledee has become the total package and the biggest breakout star of the 2023-24 season. After he went for 34 points and 17 rebounds in an overtime victory over Washington, the Dec. 29 showdown with Gonzaga officially became a must-watch affair.
