The five things Kentucky men’s basketball fans should be worried about
As a narrative-flipping exercise, John Calipari’s trip to Toronto went splendidly.
Prior to Kentucky’s July appearance in the 2023 GLOBL JAM, rehashing the relative UK men’s hoops failings of the recent past — not to mention worry over a slow-developing roster construction for the coming season — dominated the conversation around the Wildcats program.
Yet after UK and its freshman-centric team uncorked four games of pleasing, up-tempo basketball while winning the gold medal in the four-team, under-23 international tournament, excitement about the Wildcats’ immediate future has crowded out the prior ire.
“Tremendous experience,” Calipari said in Toronto after winning the GLOBL JAM gold. “First of all, I got 10 days to practice a young team. Then, we played against older players, 22-, 23-year-olds. Let them get physical with us, (then) used our speed and space and shooting to negate some of the issues we have.”
With many Kentucky backers now again hopeful of a return to hoops glory for the Wildcats in 2023-24, here are five areas that merit worry:
Worry 1: Injuries to big men
About the only thing that went wrong for Kentucky in Canada was the left ankle injury suffered by 6-foot-11, 225-pound sophomore Ugonna Onyenso in a scrimmage before the actual GLOBL JAM tourney tipped off. Subsequently, Calipari reported that Onyenso had undergone a “successful, minor (surgical) procedure” and would be sidelined for “a couple of months.”
Onyenso’s injury followed the news that 7-foot freshman Aaron Bradshaw had undergone surgery to repair an injured foot. As of early July, Calipari refused to put a timetable on Bradshaw’s return.
Though foot/ankle injuries to big men can prove problematic, there is no reason to think that Onyenso and Bradshaw will not be able to play for Kentucky in 2023-24. However, the development time for the two young big men in the run-up to the season is being compressed.
The uncertainty around Onyenso and Bradshaw may explain Kentucky’s apparent recruiting interest in 7-2, 220-pound Croatian Zvonimir Ivisic.
Worry 2: Rim protection
As much fun as it was watching Kentucky deploy “small ball” in Canada and play “five out” with offensively skilled forward Tre Mitchell manning the center spot, Calipari has his reasons for wanting more traditional post options available.
“My best teams have blocked shots. My worst teams have not blocked shots,” the UK Coach said in July.
UK’s 38-1 team in 2014-15 blocked 253 shots. Its 2011-12 NCAA title team blocked 344 shots. A season ago, while playing no one taller than 6-9 on a regular basis, Kentucky blocked only 125 shots — and finished 22-12.
“You need some size for rim protection,” Calipari says. “We didn’t have that last year and that affected us.”
Worry 3: Defense/offense synchronicity
In Canada, Kentucky unveiled the “modern” offensive approach that many Cats backers had been calling for.
UK played fast, averaging 91.8 points a game.
The Wildcats moved the ball, recording 103 assists on 142 made field goals.
Kentucky employed a three-point-heavy attack, taking an average of 29.3 treys a contest while making 37.6 percent of its three-point tries.
Very much to be determined, however, is whether the Cats can play that style offensively while also using a rim-protecting big on the court.
Worry 4: Rebounding
Though Kentucky won the battle of the boards in two of the four GLOBL JAM games, the Wildcats were minus-14 overall in rebounding in the event.
That is not shocking, of course, as the Cats adjust to life in the post-Oscar Tshiebwe era.
The 6-9, 255-pound Tshiebwe was personally responsible for 952 of the 2,703 rebounds claimed by UK over the past two seasons.
No matter how many bigs Calipari is ultimately able to employ in 2023-24, the loss of Tshiebwe’s rebounding prowess leaves a void.
Worry 5: The maturity gap
Along with super-senior returnee Antonio Reeves, Kentucky freshmen D.J. Wagner, Reed Sheppard and Rob Dillingham will give Calipari one of the most-talented backcourts in the country.
“You may look at them and say, ‘They are small, they are skinny,” Calipari says. “But they all can dribble, pass and shoot.”
In the GLOBL JAM, Wagner averaged 14 points a game and had 19 assists vs. 10 turnovers.
Sheppard led UK in assists (23) and tied for the team lead in steals (seven) while also averaging 8.5 points a game.
However talented Kentucky’s young guards may be, they will be asked to overcome vast levels of experience during some of UK’s most intriguing matchups of 2023-24.
Consider:
Projected to be No. 1 in the country, Kansas is expected to start two super-seniors and a redshirt senior on the perimeter. KU point guard Dajuan Harris will turn 23 in December; wing Nicolas Timberlake, a transfer from Towson, will be 25 on Aug. 18; wing Kevin McCullar is 22.
Likely to be favored to win the SEC, Tennessee is expected to start two super-seniors and a junior in its backcourt.
To win at the level UK backers are again envisioning for the Cats since the GLOBL JAM, Kentucky’s kiddie corps guards will have to overcome some backcourts stacked with grown men.
