Future Kentucky point guard Nolan Hickman keeps impressing. ‘You’re not rattling him.’
READ MORE
Get to know the 2020-21 Wildcats
Preseason interviews with University of Kentucky men’s basketball players and coaches are underway. Click below to see a full menu of stories published to date by the Lexington Herald-Leader and Kentucky.com looking ahead to the 2020-21 season.
Expand All
The praise keeps pouring in for one of Kentucky’s future point guards.
Last weekend, Nolan Hickman — the Wildcats’ first commitment for the class of 2021 — was among the invitees to the HoopSeen West Preview Camp powered by Pro Insight, a showcase in Utah that featured many of the best high school basketball prospects from the western United States.
Hickman didn’t disappoint.
“Nolan was the best player at camp last weekend,” Pro Insight analyst Matt McKay told the Herald-Leader. “There was plenty of high-major talent in the gym and several guys with a ton of upside in their own right, but Nolan absolutely showed why he is someone Kentucky went after.”
Hickman, who was measured at the camp at a little over 6-foot-3 (in shoes) and 179 pounds with a 6-6.5 wingspan, was a surprise commitment to Kentucky in August, becoming the first player from the 2021 class to pick the Wildcats.
The Seattle native was a little under-ranked for a John Calipari recruit — he’s now at No. 43 in the 247Sports composite rankings — but recruiting analysts see him as an instant-impact performer in college, and his profile continues to rise as more scouts see his game.
McKay has been following Hickman’s career closely in the Seattle area. He’s been complimentary of Hickman’s game in the past, and the UK recruit showed even more this past weekend.
“I’ve watched a lot of Nolan over the years, and I’ve never seen him shoot it better than he did this weekend,” McKay said. “It’s very evident he’s been in the lab, refining his range shooting. He does a great job creating just enough space to get it off and he had a quick release and shoots a soft ball all the way out to 23-25 feet. …
“His best trait at the moment is his steady, calm, poised, confident court presence. You’re not rattling him. In the SEC, that’s crucial. With a lead guard, you need to know what you’re getting from game to game, and Nolan is as consistent as they come.”
Hickman averaged 17.3 points, 3.4 assists, 3.7 rebounds and 2.0 steals per game as a junior, making 38 percent of his three-point attempts. Last summer, he had a 2.4-1 assist-to-turnover ratio on the highly competitive Nike circuit. He’s also an effective perimeter defender.
“He’s a good anticipator both on and off the ball and has quick hands, which results in a ton of deflections,” McKay said. “He is a big-time competitor, above all else, which manifests itself in him always competing on the defensive end — which is more than half the battle, right there.
“I think as he continues to add ‘grown-man strength’ over time, it will help him become increasingly impactful as a defender. I think his basketball IQ also comes into play on this end, as he’ll be someone Coach Cal can trust when it comes to executing a scheme.”
That basketball know-how could also make Hickman a versatile piece to Kentucky’s perimeter puzzle next season. Devin Askew, a freshman point guard for the Cats this season, could very well be back for a sophomore campaign. Last week, UK landed a commitment from five-star point guard Skyy Clark, who is currently in the 2022 class but is leaving open the option of a reclassification into 2021. And then there’s Hunter Sallis, arguably the No. 1 point guard in the 2021 class and perhaps UK’s top remaining backcourt target in this recruiting cycle.
Hickman is a point guard first, but he’s also capable off the ball, and he has an unselfishness about him that should feature well in any multiple-point guard lineups at Kentucky.
“Nolan is a good enough shooter, good enough athlete, and has the requisite basketball IQ to play on or off the ball,” McKay said. “If Nolan is playing beside another high-level lead guard, you can’t leave him open since he’s a major catch-and-shoot threat.”
McKay added that Hickman — an offseason transfer to Wasatch Academy (Utah), which competes against a high-level, national schedule — will be sharing the backcourt this winter with Richard “Pop Pop” Isaacs, a five-star point guard in the 2022 class who already has scholarship offers and early interest from a slew of top college programs.
That pairing should only bolster Hickman’s abilities as a versatile perimeter threat.
McKay’s continued viewings of Hickman have also led him to a comparison that should please both Kentucky fans and Calipari, who’s always on the lookout for point guards with a cerebral approach to the game.
“His demeanor reminds me of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander,” McKay said. “Nothing SGA or Nolan does looks difficult. Neither guy gets sped up — they force others to adapt to their pace. You always feel like something good is about to happen when the ball is in their hands.”
