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Kentucky Basketball: Projecting Wildcats’ starters and bench for 2017-18

By Taylor Sturm

KNOXVILLE, TN - JANUARY 24: Head coach John Calipari of the Kentucky Wildcats reacts in the first half of the game against the Tennessee Volunteers at Thompson-Boling Arena on January 24, 2017 in Knoxville, Tennessee. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images)
KNOXVILLE, TN - JANUARY 24: Head coach John Calipari of the Kentucky Wildcats reacts in the first half of the game against the Tennessee Volunteers at Thompson-Boling Arena on January 24, 2017 in Knoxville, Tennessee. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images) /
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MEMPHIS, TN – MARCH 24: Head coach John Calipari of the Kentucky Wildcats reacts on the sideline against the UCLA Bruins during the 2017 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament South Regional at FedExForum on March 24, 2017 in Memphis, Tennessee. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)
MEMPHIS, TN – MARCH 24: Head coach John Calipari of the Kentucky Wildcats reacts on the sideline against the UCLA Bruins during the 2017 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament South Regional at FedExForum on March 24, 2017 in Memphis, Tennessee. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images) /

Small Forward

Few teams in the country face a better problem than the Kentucky Wildcats due to the decision on who to start at small forward.

The Wildcats’ 2017-18 roster includes four small forwards who are former five-star recruits.

The two from last season are Wenyen Gabriel, a 6’9, 213-pound player from Massachusetts, and Sacha Killeya-Jones, a 6’10, 230-pound player out of Virginia. Last season, Killeya-Jones averaged 6.4 minutes per game over 15 minutes played with 2.7 points per game, while Gabriel played in 19 games, averaging just over 20 minutes per game with 6.2 points and 6.1 rebounds per game.

The incoming small forwards will likely overshadow both of these players in playing time this season, as Calipari and Co. have brought in two of the top prospects in the country – Kevin Knox and Jarred Vanderbilt.

All four of these players will spend time in the NBA, and all four of these players could start for most teams in college basketball. However, I think Knox gets the starting nod over Vanderbilt, Gabriel, and Killeya-Jones to start the season.

Gabriel has reportedly had a great offseason for Kentucky, making me think that he could be in line to be the sixth man for the Wildcats. If he can stay out of foul trouble, Sixth Man of the Year is entirely possible.

I expect all of these players to play at least 20 minutes per game this season, but Knox is the potential top 10 NBA Draft pick and should end up starting.

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