Newest Cat Wheeler overcomes stature with speed, swagger
Sahvir Wheeler drove into the Kentucky defense during the matchup this season between the Wildcats and Bulldogs. (Joshua L. Jones/USA Today Sports)
Jeff Drummond • CatsIllustrated
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@JDrumUK
The newest member of the Kentucky basketball roster knows he doesn't fit the typical mold of a John Calipari point guard.
Sahvir Wheeler is confident, though, that he can make up for it with his speed and swagger.
Speaking to the local media for the first time since his transfer from Georgia to Kentucky, the 5-foot-10 Wheeler said he has always found ways to overcome his diminutive hoops stature.
"The average is 6-3," Wheeler said of the impressive line of point guards to play for his new coach, "but I feel like I'm the fastest one or one of the fastest that Coach Cal is going to have. I'm probably up there with (De'Aaron) Fox.
"But I think the advantages that I'm going to have is similar to Tyler Ulis as far as guarding the ball, being a defensive pest, being disruptive on that end, and offensively using my speed to get into the paint and be a distributor -- scoring when I need to -- being a playmaker, making the right plays, trying to make everyone else's life easier so we can win some games down here."
Like Ulis, who earned concensus All-American honors at UK in 2016 despite standing only 5-foot-9, Wheeler has always fed off the doubt surrounding him on the hardwood. He was listed at 5-foot-8 coming out of Houston Christian High School in 2019, which factored heavily in his modest ranking as the No. 16 point guard and No. 91 prospect in his class.
But in two years with Georgia, Wheeler showed he could play with the proverbial -- and literal -- big boys. He averaged 14.0 points and ranked No. 5 nationally in assists per game at 7.6 as a sophomore with the Bulldogs.
"In the beginning stages, before I received my first Division I scholarship offer in the 9th grade to an SEC school, everyone was saying I was too small, " Wheeler said. "I don't really get that anymore. (But) everybody's trying to nitpick now. It's like, 'Now you've got to improve your shooting.' ... So everyone's going to find a narrative because I'm not the tallest point guard in the world or in the country or even in the SEC.
"Everybody always has their opinion of why I shouldn't be here."
Wheeler noted that other small point guards who came before him have provided an opportunity to prove they can get the job done.
Just take a look at NBA stars like Fred VanVleet, Kyle Lowery, or Isaiah Thomas, he said. "The small guard isn't going away. There are actually more now than ever."
Wheeler hopes to refine his skills at Kentucky. One of those areas of emphasis will be his perimeter shooting, although the left-hander says he doesn't understand the consternation it has caused some fans. He shot just 39.9% from the field and 22.5% from beyond the 3-point arc last season at Georgia, but those numbers were much better during his freshman year at 47.2% and 32%, respectively.
"That’s something I’m working on, and hopefully, you all are going to be able to say that about me at the end of the year," Wheeler said.
One of his biggest strengths as a point guard, Wheeler says, is being able to lead and manage personalities on the team.
“Not everyone reacts the same to, you know, adversity," he said. "Everyone needs a little different motivator. Some people you can be hard on, you can really challenge, but some people you’ve got to constantly uplift and provide confidence. Be like, ‘Yo I believe in you. You can do this.’ But some other people could be like, ‘Man, now come on. Let’s get going. Let’s go right here. Step up.’
"That’s all different personalities. I think I’ve had a lot of practice with that due to the fact that I have five younger siblings, and I’m the oldest at my house. It’s been something that I’ve constantly gotten better at, not only with the practice but with the different teams and different environments in high school to college with two different rosters my freshman year to my sophomore year. Now here at Kentucky, it’s going to be a whole new roster again."
The decision to make the move from Athens to Lexington came down to the opportunities associated with being in the spotlight at one of the nation's elite programs.
"I think the biggest thing is the platform," Wheeler said. "The platform that Kentucky has, the stage that if you’re excelling and you’re competing at a high level and you’re being productive, that puts you in a different atmosphere, a different environment than anywhere else.
"Also, just looking from a roster standpoint, I’ve never got to play with elite shooters like Kentucky has this year on its roster, especially in college. I’ve never got to play with the elite athleticism, the size, the length, the versatility with the wings and the forwards. And also, being able to play for a coaching staff who has put multiple point guards in the NBA Draft, who has developed them throughout the years and given them confidence and empowered them."
