photo by: Nick Krug

Kansas guard Devonte' Graham (4) turns to the bench with excitement as the Jayhawks pulls away during the second half against Kentucky, Saturday, Jan. 28, 2017 at Rupp Arena in Lexington, Kentucky.

The most popular theory circulating among fans of the Kansas men’s basketball program says that point guard Devonte’ Graham returned to KU for his senior season to take the reins from Frank Mason III and make his own run at national player of the year honors.

At least one publication believes that scenario is entirely possible.

Attempting to pinpoint the preseason picks for national player of the year during the upcoming 2017-18 college basketball season, Chris Johnson, of SI.com, recently tossed Graham into his first tier, labeled “The Favorites.”

Graham was joined by Michigan State’s Miles Bridges, Arizona’s Allonzo Trier and Duke’s Grayson Allen.

“Last season Graham played second
fiddle to the senior guard who swept
the national player of the year
awards, Frank Mason,” Johnson wrote.
“Mason’s departure, as well as that of
lottery-bound freshman forward Josh
Jackson, should enable Graham to
spread his wings as a featured scorer
and lead playmaker while piloting a
team that’s heavily favored to take
home at least a share of its 14th
consecutive Big 12 championship.”

Johnson projects Graham’s senior stats to look something like this — 15.8 points per game, 3.5 rebounds per game and 4.3 assists per game.

While those numbers are a notch below what Mason was able to produce last season — 20.9 ppg, 4.2 rpg, 5.2 apg — they speak to a similar impact, with Graham both scoring and setting up teammates to do the same while chipping in on the glass and on defense.

Beyond that, Johnson’s projections and lofty praise are based on the fact that Graham’s minutes and points per game increased during each of his first three seasons at KU.

“Our model likes Graham to continue
his positive year-over-year trend in
scoring efficiency, and he’s a good
bet to shoulder one of the heaviest
minutes loads in the conference,”
Johnson wrote. “The biggest cause for
hesitation with Graham involves one of
his teammates: The more times
Mississippi State transfer Malik
Newman calls his own number, the fewer
shots there will be for Graham to
take.”

While those four were listed as the favorites, Johnson’s list featured six other names broken into two more tiers.

The “Challengers” included Bonzie Colson (Notre Dame), Jalen Brunson (Villanova), Michael Porter Jr. (Missouri), and Joel Berry II (North Carolina). The “Don’t Overlook These Guys” tier included Trevon Bluiett (Xavier) and Jock Landale (Saint Mary’s).