Hamidou Diallo makes ESPN’s top 25 college basketball players

Hamidou Diallo figures to be one of, if not the Kentucky Wildcats’ best player next season.

Not only does he possess a world of talent that John Calipari is sure to harness, but Diallo also has been on UK’s campus for an entire semester. Getting that kind of head start, as well practicing against future NBA players Malik Monk and De’Aaron Fox, will surely have Diallo ready to make a major impact next season.

ESPN’s John Gasaway has revised his top-25 players list for 2017-18 following the deadline to go to the NBA Draft or stay in school.

With the update, Diallo comes in at No. 21 on the list.

After enrolling at Kentucky in January, Diallo has a head start on Kevin Knox and the rest of yet another incredibly talented freshman class in Lexington. The 6-foot-5 shooting guard waited to the last minute to withdraw his name from the draft, and now the Wildcats will benefit from his 7-foot wingspan and attacking style. A freshman season featuring a sufficient number of made 3s would likely be enough to put Diallo into lottery territory for 2018.

It’s no surprise that he’s the highest-rated Wildcat in Gasaway’s book. With the head-start he got, he’ll likely be the leader of this extremely youthful Kentucky team.

It’s fair to note that Gasaway bases his rankings on what the players will achieve at the college level this year, and not what they will show in the field of NBA potential.

Oh, and in case you’re wondering; yes, Gasaway put Grayson Allen at No. 1. Yes, the same Grayson Allen who was labeled the best player in the country last year. He didn’t live up to the billing last year; don’t count on him to do it this year either.