Image via KentuckyMBB Instagram
Name | Class | Height/Position |
Brennan Canada | Senior | 6'6/Forward |
Daimion Collins | Sophomore | 6'9/Forward |
CJ Fredrick | Redshirt-Junior | 6'3/Guard |
Chris Livingston | Freshman | 6'6/Forward |
Antonio Reeves | Senior | 6'6/Guard |
Adou Thiero | Freshman | 6'5/Guard |
Jacob Toppin | Senior | 6'9/Forward |
Oscar Tshiebwe | Senior | 6'9/Forward |
Cason Wallace | Freshman | 6'4/Guard |
Lance Ware | Junior | 6'9/Forward |
Kareem Watkins | Junior | 5'8/Guard |
Sahvir Wheeler | Senior | 5'9/Guard |
Coming into the 2022-23 College Basketball season, there should be a lot that Big Blue Nation fans should be exciting about with this roster. From a handful of returnees, freshmen who should come in and make an immediate impact, and an impact transfer, this is one of Kentucky basketball's deepest teams since maybe the 2014 season. It will be one of the oldest teams as well in the Calipari era with seven upperclassmen, with at least five of them who should see significant minutes on the floor. We’ll dive into looking into the type of players this Kentucky team has brought in and will be pointing out superlatives, who could make the biggest jump, and more.
BEST PLAYER: Oscar Tshiebwe
I think it’s pretty obvious that Tshiebew is the best player on this roster and all of college basketball. Coming off winning the Naismith College Player on the Year, Tshiebew has a really good chance to win it again being a dominant force around the paint and even expanding his game in the midrange and on the perimeter, while Kentucky should again be one of the best teams in the nation. It’ll be difficult to replicate the absolute dominance on the glass Tshiebwe showed last season averaging just over 15 rebounds a game while adding 17 points a contest to that, but if those numbers can stay around that then there’s no question for Big O to once again be in the discussion for NPOY.
BEST SCORER: Antonio Reeves
When you look at strictly just the ability to score at all levels and get a bucket, Reeves is the best option. The transfer from Illinois State can shoot the ball from the perimeter at a high clip and be crafty enough to get downhill. Last year at Illinois State Reeves made 39% of his threes at around 6 attempts a game. Reeves could be seen in sort of a Davion Mintz roll but could have more ball-handling duties to take the pressure off Sahvir Wheeler and not have to rely on Cason Wallace being a secondary ball-handler. Regardless, Reeves will score in bunches and if he gets hot I don’t see a defender in the country being able to stop him.
BEST SHOOTER: CJ Fredrick
Kentucky fans are excited to finally see Fredrick suit up and get on the court as Fredrick was expected to make his Wildcat debut last year, but his season abruptly ended right before the first game of the season with a hamstring injury. Before coming to Kentucky, Fredrick was a lights-out shooter at Iowa, which is why there’s so much anticipation to seeing Fredrick on the floor and having his shooting ability that was missed last season. He’s a career 46% three-point shooter on about 3.4 attempts a game. Calipari will surely have a load of sets for Fredrick in the halfcourt to fire off threes when he wants and will want to get out in transition.
BEST INCOMING FRESHMAN: Cason Wallace
Wallace, a consensus top-10 recruit in the incoming freshman class and a projected lottery pick in the 2023 draft will be loved by fans early on. What stands out with Wallace is his defensive tenacity and being able to guard out on the perimeter while also being a scoring threat. Wallace is 6’4 but tends to play much bigger than that and it should show it early on. There will be times this season that Wallace won’t look like a freshman out there just because of how poised he is and his understanding of the game at such a young age.
BEST PASSER: Sahvir Wheeler
After transferring from Georgia, Wheeler ran the show for Kentucky last season and proved to be a great get in the portal. Wheeler averaged just under 7 assists per game which were 3rd best in all of Division I. Even for his size, Wheeler did a fantastic job being able to find guys and get teammates open looks using his speed and shiftiness. The main thing coming into this season that Wheeler should be focusing on is his shooting from outside. Even with guys coming in like Fredrick, Wallace, and Reeves who should be competent shooters, Wheeler should still be looking to improve his shot to open up his game.
POTENTIAL TO TAKE A LEAP: Jacob Toppin
Even as a four-year guy now in college, there’s still sooooo much potential with Toppin and what he brings on both sides of the ball just off his insane athletic abilities. Kentucky fans should be excited for Toppin to embrace his likely new role with the team as the starting 4-man because of the flashes he showed last season including a 14-point, 8-rebound game at LSU with a monstrous poster jam.
GLUE GUY: Lance Ware
Ware was a top-50 recruit coming into Kentucky a couple of years ago so it’s rare to see a guy like him stick around and still be at Kentucky, but Ware has been perfectly fine with the process and has turned himself into a vital piece for the Wildcats in a way people probably didn’t see coming. When Ware gets playing time, he finds any way he can impact the game. Being physical, obnoxious, and just trying to set a tone. Ware and fans have embraced the role he’s been given and he should continue providing in that role at a high level.
BEST ATHLETE(S): Jacob Toppin, Daimion Collins
I’m pretty sure anyone would pay to watch a dunk contest between Toppin and Collins as they’re two athletes who can jump out of the gym. Both with around 42-43 inch verticals, Kentucky could have their version of lob city when both of these guys are on the court.
BEST PERIMETER DEFENDER: Cason Wallace
I can see Wallace giving a lot of SEC guards all they can handle night in and night out. With the physical frame of Wallace, Calipari will look for him to guard some of the best guards out there. Even only as a Freshman the upside there defensively cannot be ignored and it’ll be something that Wallace is hard-nosed about giving it his all on that side of the ball. It’ll be something that helps not only this team but also his draft stock for the 2023 draft.
BEST INTERIOR DEFENDER: Oscar Tshiebwe
As much as a monster Tshiebwe is on the offensive side of the ball, it’s just the same on the defensive side of the ball. Tshiebwe has total control over what goes on around the rim and loves to block or make shots tougher to get over him while also wanting to secure the rebound. Tshiebwe had a defensive rebound rate of 34.6% which was easily the best in the country, while also having a block rate of 5.4% (Per sports-reference).
BIGGEST WILDCARD(S): Daimion Collins, Adou Thiero
When Collins came into Kentucky last year as a five-star prospect everyone pretty much knew that it would take some time for Collins to get settled in with such a raw game and too lanky to try and bang with the bigs of college basketball. Collins's minutes were scares last year, but when he did see time there were things he showed that made Calipari so eager about him and his development. With insane athleticism, Collins showed the ability to be able to block shots and finish lobs and dunks around the rim, including a poster dunk that went viral in early November last year. Adou Thiero is one of the rare 3/4 star prospects that Kentucky went out to go get, but that’s for good reason as Thiero is a very intriguing prospect. Thiero is possibly in the middle of an insane growth spurt that doesn’t seem like it’ll end soon. With already having a good handle, if Thiero can adjust and grow into his body, there could be some special brewing with him that could help take this Kentucky team to another level.
Top 3 things to look for heading into the 2022-23 season:
Can Tshiebwe win NCPOY for a 2nd straight year? - Kentucky is looked at as a legit championship contending team and Tshiebwe looks to add on to what is already a dominant game that he possesses. If Tshiebwe is looking to expand his game around the mid-range and can keep the same production he had last year, there should be no question of Tshiebwe being in the Naismith College Player of the Year conversation once again and possibly winning it back-to-back years.
How Impactful will the Freshmen be on an older roster? - Even with just a three-man freshman class, at least two of them should have somewhat significant roles on the team. As mentioned earlier Cason Wallace should be a really good defender and bring something offensively as well making him one of the better two-way guards on the team. Someone that hasn’t been mentioned is Chris Livingston who should serve as a helpful piece out on the wing when Calipari isn’t running three-guard lineups. Livingston is another prospect who plays bigger than his size and should also be a really good defender on the wing. We could see Livingston being used as a slasher who can also knock down perimeter shots. We might be underrating the pair of Wallace and Livingston just because this is one of the older rosters Kentucky has seen in a while, and add the potential aspect of Thiero and this could be considered one of the better freshmen classes Kentucky has put together.
Could a Jacob Toppin jump take Kentucky over the hump? - At this point, I think we all understand the excitement over Toppin and what he could bring in his Senior year to this team. It might be an oversell, but what Toppin could bring may make Kentucky the most dangerous team in the country come around SEC Tournament play and beyond. Even if the leap isn’t that significant Toppin should still serve as a vital piece to this team and a notable rotational piece.
EXTRA: One more piece being added to the roster?
Center Ugonna Kingsley Onyenso recently reclassified from the 2023 class to 2022. Also, a commitment date has been set for August 1st and all signs are pointing to the 4-star big man announcing his commitment to Kentucky. The deal may be that he comes in and redshirts for a year but brings the necessary size and learns the system in the practice environment so he’ll be ready to suit up next year.
Sophomore
- Kaio Johnson
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