As hoped and somewhat expected, Kentucky put itself back on the basketball map Saturday with a thoroughly entertaining victory over North Carolina. The win made a statement for the program, but also offered some interesting clues about what we might expect for the rest of the season.
John Wall has an extra gear that few humans on planet earth have ever possessed. He can ignite an explosive scoring spurt and send a crowd into hysterics in the blink of an eye. As Clark Kellogg aptly pointed out (paraphrasing) even when he’s not healthy there are benefits to having Wall on the floor. We don’t want to gush too much, but it is clear that this kid is a special, once in a generation player. His total package is almost alien. His handle, leaping ability, quickness, vision, raw speed, charisma, leadership, etc. It’s pretty amazing, and as we found out Saturday, when he comes out of the game, the rest of the team seems lost and bewildered.
Eric Bledsoe was clearly bothered by an ankle sprain sustained last week. He showed very little lift on his jumper and not as much burst going to the goal. His coexistence with Wall has been extremely admirable thus far. It is not EB’s normal role to give up the rock at all times, but that is how he’s sacrificed for the team. He also put in some clutch play vs. UNC late with a key reverse layup and three free throws in the waning moments. He is still a bit out of control, but the silver lining is that Bledsoe looks like a guy who should be in the program for three or four years. That is good news for Cat fans. After all, if it wasn’t for Wall, we would likely be gushing about his backcourt mate instead.
Miller and Dodson are both shooting the ball with a lot of confidence. Kellogg said he loves how DD squares his body and has perfect follow through on his jumper. If they continue to progress, this team could become even more lethal on offense. Miller is an underrated defensive player as well. Made some huge plays and killed UNC’s momentum on more than one occasion. Dodson also played good defense with active hands.
Big Cuz has a long way to go. We feared this would be the case when we saw him in the AAU and prep all-star games. He is still growing and needs time in the weight room. His athleticism isn’t the the caliber of Orton’s yet. But of more pressing concern is that his immaturity and lack of emotional intelligence looks likely to cost UK this season. And in a very big way.
Daniel Orton reminds us of a young Patrick Ewing in the post. He blocked some shots that were mesmerizing when watching on replay. He is lithe and moves his feet exceptionally well. He doesn’t reach and keeps his arms and hands up high at all times. His one mistake Saturday was never stopping Zeller from going left. With every passing game it is starting to appear that the Cats might actually be a better team with Orton and Patterson on the floor at the same time.
P-Patterson is simply a beast. He made some clutch shots against UNC and really gave UK a psychological edge in the paint against a UNC roster full of giants. The comparisons to Moses Malone are well deserved. He is a workhorse and an intimidator. While folks like to talk about the Cats’ inexperience this season, we feel Patterson has that combination of veteran savvy and raw strength and ferocity to ensure that every team respects Kentucky. We’d like to see UK use more isolation and the two-man game with PP and Wall or Bledsoe.
Harrellson was lost and doesn’t know how to play position defense. We shouldn’t give up on him yet because his shooting will likely help UK down the road. But UNC was just a long, athletic team. We won’t see another team like them until….well…Wednesday night in Madison Square Garden, when the Cats take on UConn with the BBL in attendance.
Harris and Stephenson put in some good defensive and rebounding minutes. Stephenson is active and his long arms definitely disrupt some shots. Harris is a scrappy player that will battle on the glass and is athletic enough to get out in transition. Both will continue to offer leadership as the elder statesmen. With that said, they are both potential liabilities on offense in the half court set. Harris seems to get his feet caught up a lot and loses balance. Perry is just so skinny and awkward running the floor. Truly a shame his body won’t allow him to gain muscle weight.
Our desired rotation would be:
Wall -36 minutes per game
Bledsoe -30 minutes per game
Dodson – 20
Miller – 22
Harris – 12-14
Patterson – 28-30
Orton – 18-20
Cousins – 15-20
Stephenson/Harrellson – 8-10
Liggins is clearly a wild card once he gets back in the good graces of Coach Cal.
Yes, John Wall gets a lot of hype. But at this point, can you argue that he doesn’t deserve it?
Wall has already hit a buzzer beating jumper to win one game, while stroking two free throws with 2.4 seconds in regulation to send another into overtime. And this is after only six appearances.
His numbers are even more ridiculous. While leading the team in minutes played at 36 per game, Wall is dropping 18.5 points, 8 assists, 4 rebounds, 2.5 steals and nearly a block an outing.
Doing this while shooting 56% from the field and 80% from the line is impressive. And while his 4 turnovers per game are cause for concern, keep in mind that Wall is doing the vast bulk of the ball handling for the Cats in every game and is still keeping an assist to turnover ratio of 2 to 1.
So what is his weakness? At this point, there really isn’t one. But if the Cats are going to win a championship this season, SEC or otherwise, we hope he’ll get his three point percentage up a bit. For the year he’s 4 for 14.
