The Kentucky Wildcats head into 2017-18 with a plethora of talent on their roster, but what will their starting lineup end up looking like?
As usual, the Kentucky Wildcats will head into next basketball season with a massive roster turnover, as a huge portion of their team from the previous season heads of to the NBA.
Fortunately, as usual, John Calipari and the Wildcats have rebuilt with one of the most talented recruiting classes in the country.
Boasting five five-star recruits (six if you count Hamidou Diallo) and two four-star recruits, Kentucky boasts the No. 2 recruiting class in college basketball. Along with Diallo, the Wildcats earned commitments from point guard Quade Green, shooting guards Jemari Baker and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, small forwards Kevin Knox and Jarred Vanderbilt, and center Nick Richards – all of whom should end up playing in the NBA fairly soon.
That being said, the starting five for the Wildcats next season is going to be extremely difficult to figure out, as most of these players could start for any team in the country and there are a couple of fairly underrated returners on this Kentucky roster as well.
Coach Cal has always been one of the best ever when it comes to splitting up playing time in order to keep his players happy and win games. The 2017-18 season will be no different, and we should expect big things from one of the most potentially top to bottom talented Wildcat rosters of the last few seasons.
Here is the projected starting lineup and bench for the Kentucky Wildcats heading into the 2017-18 college basketball season.
Point Guard
Of all the positions to fill in the Wildcats’ starting lineup, point guard is probably the easiest to figure out.
The options are Brad Calipari – yes, the son of Head Coach John Calipari — or five-star incoming freshman Quade Green.
Calipari has no shot at starting for this team, meaning that Green is going to be the opening day starter. Sure, I would like to see Calipari start a game or two that Kentucky knows it will win for the fans (who doesn’t love a coach’s son getting playing time), but Green is miles above him in terms of talent and should see significantly high minutes this season.
In fact, the lack of point guard depth is one of the concerning things about this team. However, Green should be able to step up to the plate and fill in well as the main distributor on an ultra-talented team.
The 6’0, 165-pound guard out of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania was rated as the No. 22 player nationally by Rivals and No. 26 by 247 Sports.
Sports Illustrated already reported that he would run the offense, meaning that he should see more than 35 minutes a game when things are close. While I do not expect him to score as often as his predecessor De’Aaron Fox, I do think that he should average more assists due to the weapons around him.
Shooting Guard
Those who will be competing for the starting shooting guard position are incoming freshmen Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who is a four-star combo guard out of Chattanooga, Jemari Baker, who is a four-star recruit out of California, and Hamidou Diallo, who is a five-star recruit that isn’t technically an incoming freshman but will be playing his first season with the Wildcats.
Two other shooting guards on the roster, Dillon Pulliam and Johnny Davis, both averaged less than two minutes per game last season and should see around that same number in 2017-18. I think there will be a few more blowouts this upcoming season, though, so they might end up averaging somewhere around three minutes per game.
Like I said earlier, the point guard depth on this squad is lacking, so we could see moments in games where Baker, Gilgeous-Alexander, and Diallo spend some time at the one in order to give Quade Green some rest.
Because of Gilgeous-Alexander’s history as a combo-guard, I expect him to see a little more floor time than Baker due to his versatility. However, I fully expect Diallo to be the clear starter at shooting guard on this team.
Do not be surprised if Calipari experiments a bit with Gilgeous-Alexander, Baker, and Diallo all on the floor at the same time against guard heavy lineups in the SEC — like Ole Miss, for example.
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.
Power Forward
While the small forward position is crowded, incoming freshman P.J. Washington will have few challengers to his starting power forward job with Kentucky.
The 6’8, 220-pound power forward out of Findlay Prep in Dallas, Texas comes to the Wildcats as a five-star recruit who was ranked as the No. 7 power forward in the Class of 2017 by 247 Sports and No. 15 overall player by Rivals.
Washington is currently projected as a second round 2018 NBA Draft pick, meaning that he could stay for more than one season with Kentucky. However, a strong season could push him into the first round, making me think that he pushes himself hard to succeed and become one of the more widely known players in 2017-18.
Washington’s only real challenger at the power forward position – apart from the small forwards that get some run at the four – will be 6’10, 255-pound junior Tai Wynyard.
Wynyard has recently been on fire with the New Zealand U19 national team and could see that translate into some extra minutes this season. While I do not expect him to usurp Washington in any way, his consistency and veteran presence is great for this Kentucky program as a whole.
Expect Washington to start from the first tip onward, though, as his potential is undeniable and should translate into wins for the Wildcats.
Center
The lone “true” center on the Kentucky Wildcats’ roster is five-star freshman Nick Richards.
The 7’0, 239-pound center from New York was listed as the No. 2 center in the Class of 2017 by 247 Sports and the No. 17 overall player by Rivals. His potential is seemingly unlimited, as he boasts the size and skillset to be a dominant player in both college basketball and at the next level.
Currently projected to go in the NBA Draft lottery, Richards could find himself a top 10 pick with a strong 2017-18 campaign. His size will make him highly coveted at the next level, and Coach Cal knows how to turn a big-man into an NBA success, as DeMarcus Cousins, Skal Labissierre, and Willie Cauley-Stein are all currently performing well in the NBA.
Richards should be the in-and-out starter at the five throughout the whole season but could find his minutes somewhat limited when the Wildcats decide to go small. There are several SEC teams that will play small next season, meaning that Richards could be replaced in the lineup for periods of time by another small or power forward.
I fully expect Richards to average a double-double in 2017-18, and I cannot wait to see what this player can do when paired alongside players like Kevin Knox, Hamidou Diallo, and Quade Green.
Full starter and bench projections
I honestly believe that John Calipari will mix things up this season, and I think the only “for sure” starters are Quade Green at point guard, Hamidou Diallo at shooting guard, and Kevin Knox at small forward.
We could see a rotation at the four and five spots depending on if Calipari wants to go large or small that will look something like this:
PG – Quade Green PG – Quade Green
SG – Hamidou Diallo SG – Hamidou Diallo
SF – Kevin Knox SF – Kevin Knox
PF – P.J. Washington PF – Jarred Vanderbilt
C – Nick Richards C – P.J. Washington
Kentucky’s bench will be phenomenal, as well, and, if we exclude the “starters” above, I think we should see significant minutes from Jemari Baker, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Wenyen Gabriel, Sacha Killeya-Jones, and even Tai Wynyard.
No matter who starts, the Wildcats are one of the best teams in college basketball. The SEC is theirs to lose but could be more difficult to hold onto in 2017-18, as the Florida Gators, Alabama Crimson Tide, and Texas A&M Aggies should all find themselves ranked at some point in the season. The rest of the SEC takes huge steps forward as well, as teams like the Missouri Tigers and Auburn Tigers both have the potential to be great.
Next: Ranking top coaching moves of the offseason
However, the talent on this Kentucky roster is undeniable, and the Wildcats are ready to be in contention for the National Championship yet again.