Kentucky Wildcats: Who Will Step Up to Replace Poythress
By Daniel Tran
The Kentucky Wildcats lost junior forward Alex Poythress to a torn anterior cruciate ligament yesterday during practice. The loss of Poythress for the season is a huge loss to swallow because he was arguably the teams most versatile defender and key member in Kentucky’s starting platoon.
Poythress’ experience and defensive prowess will be missed, but the depth that helped make the Kentucky Wildcats the No. 1 team in the nation will help the Wildcats recover from Poythress’ misfortune. Here are the candidates to replace Poythress’ spot on the starting platoon.
Trey Lyles – The former Mr. Basketball Indiana and sixth-ranked prospect on the ESPN 100 list in 2014 should be the favorite replace Poythress in the starting lineup. His numbers from the bench have been productive to say the least.
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In the 19.0 minutes per game that he plays, Lyles averages 7.7 points and 5.9 rebounds. Per 40 minutes, he averages 16.2 points and 12.4 rebounds. Giving Lyles more minutes in the starting lineup would be an obvious choice.
He has shown he can rebound and score, but his defense, specifically his lateral movement would make him a target to be exploited by quicker forwards. Though Lyles has Willie Cauley-Stein and Karl-Anthony Towns backing up, Lyles would put a lot of pressure on the interior defense to protect the rim and not pick up fouls.
Devin Booker – He is classified as a guard, but since Booker is listed at 6’6 in college, he can easily fill-in at the small forward position. He may not be as strong as the forwards he will be going against, but he has a high enough basketball IQ and athleticism to keep up with them.
The freshman from Moss Point, Mississippi can also add to the already dangerous outside shooting of the starting platoon that includes the Harrison twins. Booker currently shoots 35.9 percent from three-point range and makes 1.3 three-point field goals in 17.9 minutes.
Spreading the floor with those three shooters would keep players from double-teaming Towns and Cauley-Stein and give the Wildcats a potent lineup to start off on the right foot.
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Marcus Lee – Although he may not have the offensive numbers as Lyles, Lee’s game might be closer to Poythress’ and could better fit with the starting lineup.
Lee may not have much of an offensive game, but he has incredible jumping ability and is a master at grabbing offensive rebounds. Per 40 minutes, Lee grabs 5.4 offensive rebounds a game which outpaces Poythress’ 3.4.
Lee is comparable in size to Poythress and has a 7’3 wingspan. If you are a forward trying to get around that, life is not going to be easy. For his size, he moves his feet well and has the athleticism to keep up with quicker forwards and has excellent timing resulting in 2.9 blocks per 40 minutes.
Don’t be surprised to see Lee as the first experimental starter in the Kentucky Wildcat’s primary platoon.