‘A difficult cocktail for him to swallow.’ How UK’s Boston handles slow start is key.
Kentucky’s players already faced an unusually difficult transition to a new basketball season. The coronavirus disrupted the preseason and removed most of the all-but-guaranteed victories that would build early-season confidence. Only one teammate had ever played extended minutes for Kentucky, and that player, Keion Brooks, was sidelined because of an injury.
And then there was the inestimable challenge of playing for Kentucky where every double dribble can seemingly merit examination.
Brandon Boston’s adjustment got an additional complication Saturday night against Vanderbilt when his missed shot late in the first half drew — depending on your perception — audible boos or groans or grumbles from fans in Rupp Arena.
Of this obstacle course Boston faces, ESPN analyst Jay Bilas said, “That’s a difficult cocktail for him to swallow. Of course, he’s struggling a little bit.”
After the game, UK Coach John Calipari was asked about the fan reaction to Boston’s missed shot.
“B.J.’s going to be fine,” Calipari said. “We need our fans to absolutely support B.J. I don’t know why anybody would just want to be nasty to anybody. If you want to be nasty, be nasty to me. It’s my fault. Don’t be nasty to him. I’m the one that put him in the game. So, if you’re mad, just be mad at me. Be positive.”
Calipari held up Devin Askew’s improvement as the early season has evolved as an example of patience being rewarded.
“Our fans left him alone,” the UK coach said. “They let him do his thing. And look where Devin is now.”
Boston tweeted Wednesday that he did not need sympathy, and would face up to every challenge.
Of course, yet another complication is that Boston’s backup is Dontaie Allen, a fan favorite from Pendleton County. Allen’s seven three-pointers at Mississippi State three days earlier were manna from basketball heaven for a UK team starving for perimeter shooting. Boston’s miss against Vandy, which is part of his 5-for-33 three-point shooting so far this season, surely caused fans to ache all the more for Allen (11-of-22 from beyond the arc).
Omar Cooper, who coached Boston on the AAU circuit, dismissed this dynamic as significant.
“He was one of the best bench guys I’ve ever had,” Cooper said of Boston. “He cheers for his teammates non-stop.”
Of the boos or groans or grumbles, Cooper said, “I don’t think it would make him feel, like, defeated.”
Bilas pooh-poohed the notion that losing playing time to a more productive teammate might affect Boston.
“Heck, if you go to Kentucky and don’t think there’s a replacement waiting if you don’t play well, you’re mistaken,” the ESPN analyst said. “It doesn’t matter if you go to Duke, or Kentucky or UCLA, there are going to be other good players there. And if you don’t play well, they’ll find someone who will.”
Boston is averaging 12.8 points and 5.4 rebounds. He’s made only 35.8 percent of his shots.
“You see a young player who is not scoring the way he’s used to scoring, and he’s letting it affect every other aspect of the game . . . ,” Bilas said. “It can be a confidence killer. It’s like when coaches say you’re trying too hard. There’s a lot of tension.”
Although a celebrated five-star recruit, Boston is no stranger to adversity. Cooper recalled his AAU team losing its first three games last year.
Boston’s reaction?
“His attitude was totally different from what it was before,” Cooper said. “I remember his attitude, his focus, his face, his demeanor. When he walked into that (practice) gym, he just meant business.”
Bilas suggested that it’s easier to break out of a slump in basketball than, say, baseball.
“Because you can do some other things that lead you out of it,” he said.
Not shooting well? Draw a foul and get to the free-throw line. Or score on a put-back. Or make a defensive play that leads to a transition basket. Hustle for a key rebound.
Calipari called for Boston to focus on defense.
“He didn’t come out because of his offense,” the UK coach said. “He came out because defensively they were going right at him. . . . And he’s got to take pride. Say, ‘You’re not doing that to me, not at my length,’” the UK coach said.
On offense, Boston will “revert,” said Calipari, who defined this, in part, as flipping up shots rather than drawing contact or putting up floaters that can either go in or be put-back dunks.
Only nine games into the season, Calipari said he believed in Boston’s eventual emergence. Cooper said that will be a delightful sight.
“I think you’ll see poetry in motion,” said the AAU coach, who added that when Boston is playing well “his whole vibe is just different. It’s vibrant.”
Time is on the side of all Kentucky players, Cooper said.
“Basketball is a game of chemistry,” he said. “It’s a game of rhythm. And it’s a game of confidence.”
Those who compile NBA mock drafts still believe. In its Jan. 1 update, NBADraft.net projected Boston as the 10th pick in the 2021 NBA Draft. Sportsnaut.com’s update on Tuesday had Boston as the 15th pick.
In its update last Sunday, NBADraftRoom.com projected Boston as the 28th pick.
“Boston has talent, but is off to a slow start at Kentucky,” the site said. “His shot isn’t falling, his shot selection has been questionable and his first step lacks burst. Still, he’s a talented player who should settle in and find his rhythm.”
Bilas expressed confidence that Boston will blossom.
“How he’ll be judged by this is how he handles the struggles,” the ESPN analyst said. “It’s not that he’s had (struggles). It’s how he handles it.”
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Next game
Kentucky at Florida
When: 5 p.m. Saturday
TV: ESPN
Radio: WLAP-AM 630, WBUL-FM 98.1
Records: Kentucky 3-6 (2-0 SEC), Florida 5-1 (2-1)
Series: Kentucky leads 104-40.
Last meeting: Kentucky won 71-70 on March 7, 2020, in Gainesville, Fla.
