He’s a tenacious scorer who is used to playing with the ball in his hands, and it will be interesting to see how Calipari splits those duties between him and Sahvir Wheeler. Washington averaged 24 points, seven assists and six rebounds per game against a national schedule as a high school senior last season, earning first-team All-American honors from. Still, it’ll difficult for Calipari to keep Washington out of the starting lineup, and the five-star recruit should be expected to make a major impact on both ends of the floor. Washington’s role in 2021-22: According to most experts, Washington is Kentucky’s top NBA Draft prospect for 2022 - projected as a possible lottery pick - but he’s joining a team with a ton of proven veteran talent on the perimeter. What he lacks in size defensively, he makes up for with quickness, deceptive strength, and a competitive and pesky approach. With more talent around him at Kentucky, he’ll need to dial back his own offensive attempts (13.0 shots per game last season) and show a better shot selection (39.9 percent from the floor last season, 22.5 percent from three-point range).
His play will be important in spreading the defense and opening up shots for what could be a very good three-point shooting team. Wheeler can penetrate an opposing defense - something UK guards struggled mightily with last season - and is an incredibly gifted and creative passer. He also turned in the first triple-double in Bulldogs history - 14 points, 13 assists and 11 rebounds against Louisiana State - showing an ability to impact the game in a variety of ways and battle for boards despite his smaller stature. He led the SEC in assists and assist-to-turnover ratio as a sophomore last season, and his assist total ranked No. He’s not the typical Calipari point guard - as far as measurements go - but Wheeler has proven he can get things done at a high-major level. Wheeler’s role in 2021-22: Other Kentucky players seemingly garnered more attention in the offseason, but Wheeler - a transfer from Georgia - was the only Wildcat to earn SEC preseason first-team honors last month. Fredrick’s teammates will be looking to space the floor and get him open shots, and he’ll need to defend well enough that Calipari will be willing to keep him out there in crucial situations. There’s no question he can fill it up from three-point range, though, and that’s what he’ll be expected to do when he’s on the court. (He’s also been sidelined by and played through injuries in the past, something to be wary of, especially with him missing much of the preseason). Fredrick has averaged about 27 minutes per game in his college career so far, but he might have trouble reaching that this season. Yet, he’s usually absent from projected starting lineups on a roster that also features impact guards Kellan Grady, Davion Mintz, Sahvir Wheeler and five-star recruit TyTy Washington. He’s also been consistently excellent as a three-point shooter - an area of major need for the Wildcats - going 46.1 percent from deep as a freshman and 47.4 percent as a sophomore. 2 seed in the NCAA Tournament last season, remember). The former Kentucky high school star - and Sweet Sixteen MVP at Rupp in 2018 - started all 52 games he played over the past two seasons for two good Iowa teams (the Hawkeyes were a No. It might be too much to ask to expect that jump this season, but his development should be fun to watch.įredrick’s role in 2021-22: Exactly how John Calipari uses Fredrick will be one of the more interesting story lines this season, especially in the early going.
Toppin looks like a player that - at some point - will be able to combine that rare athleticism and natural ability to take a major leap forward. Anything he can add offensively, especially in the halfcourt, will likely be a bonus. He can be an instant-energy guy off the bench and has the length to rebound well and defend multiple positions. With the influx of transfers this offseason and a possible shift toward a more guard-oriented lineup, Toppin could see about the same amount of playing time he did last season (17.1 minutes per game), but he should be better equipped to make a bigger impact with that time in his second year as a Wildcat. Toppin’s next-level athleticism and family ties - he’s the younger brother of former national player of the year Obi Toppin - make him one of the most intriguing players on this Kentucky team. Instead, he took advantage of the NCAA’s willingness to grant immediate eligibility to transfers and ended up showing some promise. Toppin’s role in 2021-22: The original plan when Toppin transferred from Rhode Island last year was that he would make his Kentucky debut this season, after sitting out the 2020-21 campaign to work on adding strength and honing his basketball skills.
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