Kentucky Basketball: What the latest roster moves mean for the Wildcats next season

One of the more intriguing team off-seasons was going to be Kentucky Basketball. After about a week, the first few dominoes have started to fall.

When Kentucky’s season ended, there were many questions concerning the team’s roster that had to be answered. Who will be going to the draft? Which players are transferring in and out? And lastly, are there any more high-caliber prospects coming in?

All of those inquiries have been answered in the past few days, each having an impact not only for the Wildcats, themselves, but college basketball in general.

NBA Draft Decisions

There were three projected first-round prospects that had decisions to make about their future. We now know what two of them are doing, with both Kevin Knox and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander each choosing to go pro. Both are expected to go somewhere in the lottery.

All-American Commits

With a few scholarships available, Coach Calipari and staff was able to get one of the best remaining class of 2018 prospects in 6’10 forward EJ Montgomery, ranked No. 12 by 247sportsComposite’s recruiting site.

Considering the struggles Kentucky’s frontcourt had, getting another body for competition purposes will do everyone well. The incoming freshman will have an opportunity to produce right out the gate.

*Update: The top point guard in the 2019 class has committed to Kentucky. Ashton Hagans is a five-star guard who reportedly could reclassify to join next year’s team. We will have more as the news continues to come out.

Transfers

With another big man coming into the fold, it’s expected that someone will be on their way out. We now know which one it’ll be.

A former top prospect himself, Sacha Killeya-Jones failed to distinguish himself from the others, averaging just a few points and rebounds a game while barely reaching double figures in minutes played.

The junior now becomes one of the most sought-after transfers, with plenty of potential remaining. Killeya-Jones was a former Virginia commit, and the Cavaliers could always use another scorer in the frontcourt.

Next: 2018 NBA Draft Board 1.0

With a top-tier class coming in, combined with the players remaining with the program, Kentucky is easily a top-five team heading into next year. Depending on what happens, the Wildcats could become a title favorite with a couple more pickups. And there’s still plenty of time for that to happen.