University of
Kentucky (4)
by Adam Spinella
Projected Starters
G
5-9
PT%
56.54
G
PTE
18.87
6-3
PT%
0.00
G
HS100 AC/AA
18
Isaiah Briscoe
PTE
0.00
6-4
HS100 AC/AA
11
Jamal Murray
SO
NBA
FR
NBA
18
FR
PTE
0.00
HS100 AC/AA
71
NBA
6
PT%
10.38
PTE
2.15
HS100 AC/AA
8
NBA
71
PT%
0.00
PTE
0.00
HS100 AC/AA
2
NBA
1
F
PT%
0.00
Tyler Ulis
C
6-8
6-11
Alex Poythress
Skal Labissiere
SR
FR
Bench Rotation
F
6-9
PT%
27.24
F
PTE
8.51
6-9
PT%
4.81
G
PT%
0.00
G
PT%
10.45
Marcus Lee
Derek Willis
PTE
1.3
6-5
HS100 AC/AA
18
HS100 AC/AA
Charles Matthews
PTE
0.00
HS100 AC/AA
50
6-0 Dominique Hawkins
PTE
10.45
HS100 AC/AA
0.87
JR
NBA
32
JR
NBA
FR
NBA
JR
NBA
John Calipari has built a special
program at Kentucky, embracing the
growing one-and-done trend in college
basketball to its fullest. That’s old news;
Coach Cal has been to the Final Four
in four of the last five seasons, boasting
four lottery picks from the 2015 NBA
Draft. As Calipari continually reloads
with star freshmen and athletic talent,
college basketball fans struggle with
just how high to put Kentucky in
preseason polls.
With four Final Fours since 2011,
last season going 18-0 in the SEC,
and once again boasting a top-three
recruiting class in the country, there
is no reason the Wildcats shouldn’t be
a top-five team in the preseason polls.
Headlining the class will be the man in
the middle, Skal Labissiere, a 6-foot11 Haitian big man with an incredible
backstory. Labissiere has all the physical
tools in the world for a big man—he’s a
fluid athlete in the open court, finishes
at the rim, and from the elbows. He’s a
defensive monster, swatting shots and
contesting nearly anything that comes
his way.
Labissiere will be counted on to be
the main rim protector in a defensive
system that has helped prepare big men
like Anthony Davis, Willie CauleyStein, DeMarcus Cousins, and KarlAnthony Towns for life in the NBA.
Even last season, when playing several
different lineups and featuring mostly
18 and 19-year olds, the Wildcats were
the best scoring defense in the SEC, and
third best in the country.
The other two star freshmen
recruits, Jamal Murray and Isaiah
Briscoe, will shoulder much of the
scoring load for the Wildcats this
coming season. Murray is a 6-foot-4
scoring guard with lethal shooting
ability, which opens up the rest of his
attack. His best asset is his ability to
finish near the rim despite contact,
making the 195-pounder built for
the physicality the SEC has to offer.
Briscoe is more of a point guard
than Murray, but relies more on his
athleticism for a 6-foot-3 guard than
savvy and play-making prowess.
Briscoe can also work out of the post
and dominate smaller guards down
low. He’s got the athleticism to guard
the opposing team’s best perimeter
player.
Murray and Briscoe could see a
lot of time at the 2 and 3 in a multiguard attack, driven by the team’s
most talented returning player.
Tyler Ulis, a 5-foot-9 point guard
who has as much speed in the open
court as any player to come through
the collegiate ranks in a long time,
returns in a leadership role for the
Wildcats. His 3.6 assists per game
were good enough to put him in
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