11 former Wildcats ranked among ESPN’s top NBA players

The Kentucky Wildcats have an absolute pipeline of talent in the NBA. With the nation’s top recruiting class coming to the Bluegrass State this upcoming season, the Cats should continue to keep the flow of talent to the NBA.

From older players like Anthony Davis to the young, up-and-coming talent like Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, the talent from Lexington is unparalleled. That’s even more solidified as the annual ESPN Top 100 was released.

Releasing the names of players in groups, Knicks’ Immanuel Quickley and Heat’s Tyler Herro were the two names ranked between 100 and 51. Things got more interesting when more names were released.

Nine more Wildcats were ranked between 50-1. That group is lengthy and impressive.

Here’s the breakdown.

• No. 92 Immanuel Quickley
• No. 79 Tyler Herro
• No. 45 Julius Randle
• No. 42 Tyrese Maxey
• No. 23 De’Aaron Fox
• No. 20 Karl-Anthony Towns
• No. 17 Jamal Murray
• No. 16 Bam Adebayo
• No. 11 Devin Booker
• No. 10 Anthony Davis
• No. 8 Shai Gilgeous-Alexander

It’s been quite the rise for Gilgeous-Alexander, who averaged a career-high 31.4 points per game last season and could be labeled a top-five player in the NBA.

Regardless, both should be top-ten players in the NBA. One could certainly make the case that Booker should be a top-10 player, but the rest of the ranking, aside from De’Aaron Fox, who led a top-four Kings last season, makes sense.