(Photo by Carmen Mandato/Getty Images)
(Photo by Carmen Mandato/Getty Images)
Kentucky has added yet another point guard to its roster – the second in just five days – as Georgia standout Sahvir Wheeler announced his commitment to the program on Monday.
Wheeler joins 2021 five-star prospect TyTy Washington at the point guard position, joining the likes of Kellan Grady, CJ Fredrick and Dontaie Allen in the backcourt, along with Oscar Tshiebwe, Daimion Collins, Jacob Toppin, Lance Ware and Bryce Hopkins in the frontcourt among confirmed roster pieces for 2021-22.
With the Georgia standout – who earned second-team All-SEC honors after averaging 14.0 points, 7.4 assists, 3.8 rebounds and 1.7 steals per contest – officially signed on, how does the depth chart look as things stand today? And how could that change following the upcoming stay-or-go decisions Davion Mintz, Keion Brooks Jr. and Isaiah Jackson are set to make in the near future?
As things stand today:
Until Mintz, Brooks Jr. and Jackson make their final decisions on their basketball futures, you can’t pencil anyone in as a returnee. As things stand today, it appears Wheeler and Washington will be splitting reps at point guard, while Grady, Fredrick and Allen rotate through the other wing positions. Hopkins is also expected to split minutes at the three and four.
As for the frontcourt, without Brooks confirmed, Toppin or Collins can be penciled into the starting lineup at the four, while Tshiebwe anchors the middle at center. Ware is expected to split reps at the four and five.
Should Mintz leave, will John Calipari look to add another backup point guard in the transfer portal? Is Calipari confident enough in Toppin to make a significant jump and/or Collins to be ready to produce from day one at the power forward spot, or will he need to add a proven piece at the position?
PG: Sahvir Wheeler
SG: TyTy Washington/CJ Fredrick
SF: Kellan Grady/Dontaie Allen/Bryce Hopkins
PF: Jacob Toppin/Lance Ware
C: Oscar Tshiebwe/Daimion Collins
Best-case scenario:
No matter how unlikely it seems, any best-case scenario for Kentucky is going to include Jackson withdrawing from the NBA Draft and returning to Lexington for a sophomore season. Should that dream scenario come to fruition, you take everything else however it unfolds, even if it means attrition elsewhere on the roster. Jackson is a game-changing talent with top-ten draft potential next season, you take him back and figure everything else out later.
In this case, Mintz likely returns with Jackson to get the complete Kentucky basketball experience on a team that can make noise in March, a season that is expected to see full crowds and a real on-campus experience. You’d love to see Brooks return, though it’d be tough to imagine the soon-to-be-junior would be open to a firm reserve role again in 2021-22 when the transfer portal presents an opportunity for him to start elsewhere right away. For this exercise – it is the best-case scenario, after all – let’s just assume all undecided players opt to return to Lexington for one final season and Calipari fights off any other player departures — Allen, Toppin and Ware would likely fit in this category. 13 scholarship players line the roster.
PG: Sahvir Wheeler/Davion Mintz
SG: TyTy Washington/CJ Fredrick
SF: Kellan Grady/Dontaie Allen/Bryce Hopkins
PF: Isaiah Jackson/Keion Brooks Jr./Jacob Toppin
C: Oscar Tshiebwe/Daimion Collins/Lance Ware
Likeliest scenario:
Now that we’re done dreaming for a second, let’s accept the fact that Jackson is expected to keep his name in the draft and forgo the remainder of his eligibility at Kentucky. Brooks’ role is now carved out for him as the starting four, giving the Wildcats a potential starting lineup of Wheeler, Washington, Grady, Brooks and Tshiebwe, with the likes of Fredrick, Allen, Hopkins, Toppin, Collins and Ware coming off the bench.
Mintz remains as the coin flip, though his role as the team’s backup point guard and spark plug scorer off the bench alongside elite shooting threats in Fredrick and Allen has to be an intriguing one. There isn’t a need for Mintz, per se, but he’s certainly a want and the fan-favorite’s return would be welcomed by Big Blue Nation with open arms.
PG: Sahvir Wheeler/Davion Mintz
SG: TyTy Washington/CJ Fredrick
SF: Kellan Grady/Dontaie Allen/Bryce Hopkins
PF: Keion Brooks Jr./Jacob Toppin
C: Oscar Tshiebwe/Daimion Collins/Lance Ware
The Kentucky roster isn’t finalized and won’t be until Mintz, Brooks and Jackson all make their final decisions – players testing the draft waters will have until July 7 (10 days after the NBA Draft Combine) to officially decide – but Wheeler’s signing certainly adds clarity to the situation.
As things stand now, it’s a solid roster with skill, shooting, size and depth, but certainly not perfect. UK’s three undecided pieces, though, could make things quite interesting.
