The Wildcats are getting ready to embark on a trip to the Bahamas in order to sharpen their skills for the upcoming season. John Calipari will no doubt use these series of games as kind of a laboratory to experiment with different line-ups.
Things are pretty set at the guard positions. Andrew and Aaron Harrison look to be the unquestioned starters heading into the season, with Tyler Ulis and Dominique Hawkins playing reserves for the point guard and Devin Booker backing up Aaron at the two.
After the guards, the rest of the positions start to get kind of murky. Cal has an embarrassment of riches in terms of big guys. Alex Poythress, Karl-Anthony Towns, Willie Cauley-Stein, Dakari Johnson, Trey Lyles, Marcus Lee, and Derek Willis are all players that are worthy starters. Five of the seven were McDonalds All Americans. The good in all this is that the Wildcats have the deepest, most talented front court in the country. The downside is that there aren't enough minutes to go around for everyone. But Cal is a master at preaching the good of the team over the good of the individual. He has had much success with his mantra, even when dealing with superstars with supposed over-inflated egos.
Here is a look at the positions and who I think will start and see time at each.
Small Forward- Alex Poythress should be the favorite so start at this position. Though he has played power forward for most of his time at Kentucky, Poythress has the physical tools to stretch plays out to the wing. He has the athleticism and the size to be a match up nightmare for other small forwards in college basketball. The one thing that he lacks is a consistent jump shot. If he can develop a nice outside jumper to go with his ability to drive to the rim and finish, then Alex Poythress will have a breakout season. This is also the position that he will most likely play in the NBA.
Derek Willis will have a chance to see time at this position and will be able to make a case for it in the Bahamas. Willis has the outside stroke that Poythress does not but he doesn't have the muscle. Willis could come in for a nice change of pace at the position in order to keep the defense honest from the perimeter.
I have heard arguments about sliding Aaron Harrison over to small forward to keep him and Devin Booker in the game in order to have two strong shooters on the floor at the same time. While I don't see this happening often, it is a possibility that I am sure Calipari will tinker with when he has the opportunity.
Power Forward- Karl-Anthony Towns is a player that has to be on the floor due to his unique talent. He is a seven footer that can shoot the three and drive to the basket. Imagine the difficulty of a 6'8 power forward trying to guard a 7'0, 243 pound power forward that can shoot and drive to the basket? KAT has the moves and the shot, but does he have the beef to bang down low? There will be power forwards that will try to test his muscle him in the post. Towns has been working on his strength and toughness by pushing an SUV around Kentucky's campus. KAT is that rare player, like a Kevin Durant, that has the perfect combination of height, length, and shooting ability.
Trey Lyles is the traditional power forward at 6'10, 255 pounds. He is more of a back-to-the basket type of player that is Towns, but don't underestimate his shooting prowess. Lyles has showcased the ability to shoot the ball from the outside. We won't see him in the Bahamas due to his leg injury, but Lyles is an elite recruit that will see plenty of game time.
Marcus Lee showed what he can do during the Elite Eight against Michigan, and word on the street is that he now has a jumper to go with his leaping ability. Lee has the potential to be a shot blocking machine for the ‘Cats. I think power forward would be an ideal place for him to make his impact on the game.
Center- Kentucky has two guys that would start center for any team in the country with Dakari Johnson and Willie Cauley-Stein. But, in my humble opinion, Dakari should get the starting job as he did for the bulk of last season. Johnson is just more of a threat offensively in the post and he should be much improved on defense due to him losing about 20 pounds of fat during the off season. Dakari is a load and a fire plug that brings energy to the rest of his teammates.
But Willie Cauley-Stein is the wildcard. He is the rare big man that can guard every position on the floor. He brings a dimension to the defense that no other center in the country can. During the first Louisville game, WCS was utilized on perimeter defense to stop Russ Smith and Chris Jones from driving to the basket and he was able to do it with surprising lateral quickness. The only knock on Willie has been his lack of post moves. No one on the team is better at catching a lob from Andrew Harrison and slamming it home, but if he can develop moves around the rim, then we very well may see him start at center.
Karl-Anthony Towns is another player that will see time at center, which is his natural position. Foul trouble should not be an issue in the post.
John Calipari has such diversity and skill at all three positions in the front court. It's going to be fun watching him tinker and figure out where to place his pieces. And I am sure he will put players in places that I haven't even covered in this post.
What are some of your projected line-ups for the big guys this season?