IMO, our best SL is Green, Diallo, Knox, Vanderbilt, and Richards.

[EclipsingYou]

Diallo, Knox, and Vanderbilt are our best players. Starting them makes the most sense to me. Vanderbilt and Knox are capable of guarding opposing 4's without any issue. On offense, this lineup creates more mismatches in our favor than can be dreamt.

Most everyone else expects a different lineup starting the game.

Respectfully, why do you see a different lineup as a better option than this one?

What am I missing? To me, this gives our best players the most opportunities to shine.

Why do you see things differently? I'm curious to get other fan's opinions without starting some kind of war like this board has been doing lately.

All in my completely worthless opinion as always.

 

[ukfan03]

I agree with you. Knox and Green can keep the defense honest with their jump shot. Diallo and Vanderbilt will dice teams up. Richards will be there when the defense helps.

 

[bucsrule8872]

I tend to agree, though I think Gabriel and maybe Killeya-Jones start to begin the year.

Diallo and Knox are top 10 recruits, Cal always starts his most talented players.

Vanderbilt is on the outer cusp of top 10. He is probably top 10 if healthy, but he has rarely been totally healthy.

Green is the top rated PG.

Richards is the highest rated big on the team.

But keep in mind, Gabriel was a top 15 in a stronger class. He is the only starter we have back. He is our only player with game experience. Can't count him out.

The 1-3 spots to me are locks. The 4 and 5 spots are still yet to be determined.

I think by the end of the season it's Vanderbilt and Richards.

 

[Thompkins4uk]

Diallo, Knox, and Vanderbilt are our best players. Starting them makes the most sense to me. Vanderbilt and Knox are capable of guarding opposing 4's without any issue. On offense, this lineup creates more mismatches in our favor than can be dreamt.

Most everyone else expects a different lineup starting the game.

Respectfully, why do you see a different lineup as a better option than this one?

What am I missing? To me, this gives our best players the most opportunities to shine.

Why do you see things differently? I'm curious to get other fan's opinions without starting some kind of war like this board has been doing lately.

All in my completely worthless opinion as always.

PJ Washington????

 

[BlueRattie]

I read your title and thought to myself: who the hell is Vanderbikt? Then I remembered that last second scholly we offered to this man:

Lars Vanderbikt, 6-10, 268 from Dusseldorf. The so called, "German assassin." Great post moves, deadly mid-range game, the most dangerous Bavarian since Goebbels.

 

[ORCAT]

Diallo, Knox, and Vanderbilt are our best players. Starting them makes the most sense to me. Vanderbilt and Knox are capable of guarding opposing 4's without any issue. On offense, this lineup creates more mismatches in our favor than can be dreamt.

Most everyone else expects a different lineup starting the game.

Respectfully, why do you see a different lineup as a better option than this one?

What am I missing? To me, this gives our best players the most opportunities to shine.

Why do you see things differently? I'm curious to get other fan's opinions without starting some kind of war like this board has been doing lately.

All in my completely worthless opinion as always.

Good lineup you present, no doubt about it. However, at this early point we just don't know what Gabriel and SKJ will bring to the table having a year experience and doing whatever they have to work on and workout since the season ended and through this summer. I know I'm being hopeful, but these two could make great progress going into their soph seasons and give us that experience we're all complaining about too. I think we just need to give it more time and see how these two guys have decided to improve themselves during the off season and what they might bring to the team this Fall.

 

[DerekMcPwn]

I see Washington or Gabriel getting the nod for starting the 4 early in the season while Vanderbilt heals from his injury and rebuilds confidence. But what those two give that Vanderbilt doesn't is ouside shooting. Both guys are probably twice as good as Vando from behind the arc.

 

[EclipsingYou]

LOL! Sorry for misspelling Vanderbilt. I'll fix it right now.

 

[uk78]

Unless Richards learns to rebound, and catch the ball much better, he will be coming off the bench.

 

[EclipsingYou]

Interesting. I had no idea that Richards wasn't much of a rebounder. Is that a good reason to start Washington over him?

How would you compare Washington and Richards games?

 

[Sparkaces1]

I think the theory is that Vanderbilt can play the 2-4, so he would be the first sub in. If he is that good he will be in at the end of games anyway.

 

[dckala2]

Yea, that line up is f'd up.

 

[JwUKFan11]

I don't disagree with you but I think Washington, Gabriel and SKJ are all just as if not more talented than Vanderbilt and Richards. So there are 5-6 really talented players that will play the 3-4 spots so for me it's really hard to say for sure who our best 5 are. Great "problem" to have though.

 

[AnarchoNeoLuddite]

Richards rebounds as good as anyone else,blocks shots too.not sure where your getting that?

 

[track42]

Unless Richards learns to rebound, and catch the ball much better, he will be coming off the bench.

Richards is known for rebounding and defense.It's his offense that needs work.

 

[BBN Catz 89]

That lineup wouldn't have enough beef up front. Need PJ for some muscle down low and rebounding. And he has plenty of perimeter skills too at the 4 spot. Not a massive drop off from Vanderbilt to PJ in those regards.

The main reason we hated Gabriel last year was the fact that he was too weak down low. Same issue could happen for Vanderbilt. Granted, he's more skilled than Gabriel.

I like Vanderbilt as first sub off the bench for his versatility. Diallo off to a rough start? Sub in Vanderbilt and shift Knox to the 2. Knox off to a rough start? Sub in Vanderbilt. He can obviously sub in for the 4 too.

 

[JonathanW]

How could anyone else suggest a different starting lineup than yours? Seriously!!!

Anyone's, your's, mine, anyone else's opinion right now on who will or should start is simply an educated guess at best, or worthless at worst. Player rankings are very subjective, and change from year to year. And there is no way to know who will put in the extra work this summer & early fall and who won't. Gabriel was a top 20 prospect in what most consider a better class than this one, SKJ was a top 30. There is no way to know how much those two will improve from last year. If nothing else, they know better than the FR what is expected and what Cal wants them to work on. IMO (and mine is as worthless as the OPs) Gabriel, Washington, Vanderbilt & Knox are all in the same neighborhood (comparable). So it might just come down to who works harder, or maybe one or two are simply better than the others. I honestly don't think Cal even has a guess as to who might start at the 3 & 4 spots. Is Richards probably the favorite at the 5, yes. But it's conceivable that SKJ passes him up, or that we even go with 3 forwards. Is Green probably the favorite at the 2G, yes. But it's possible that SGA passes him.

So basically we don't know, the coaching staff probably doesn't know. So to call out others as being ridiculous for not agreeing with you is being pretty full of yourself OP.

 

[uk78]

Sorry all you have to do is watch Richard's rebounding to see how much work needs to be done. He was frequently out of position and frequently was out-rebounded by smaller players. Plus, he often mishandled passes to him. I know we like to elevate every recruit to superstar status before they ever play a game. But, he is a project and just about everyone was agreeing with that when Bamba was still thought to be a get for us. Now, suddenly he is the starter? Well, I hope he proves me wrong, but I am going but what has been observed not what is hoped. I am keeping my fingers crossed that SKJ will show his skills. The guy in the beginning of the season was the quickest to the basket of any inside player for put backs and had a nice baseline touch.

 

[bucsrule8872]

Like most of our Freshmen bigs, Richards is going to be a different player by February. He has physical gifts. So he just needs to be refined by Cal and Payne. That's why I think he will start by season's end.

 

[FFWhite]

Who knows until they start practice. Washington is being sold short.

 

[EclipsingYou]

JonathanW,

What else do you recommend we talk about in the off-season with recruiting virtually finished?

Off course none of us have seen the team play yet, my reason for creating this thread is from reading all the other predicted lineups that didn't include Vanderbilt and I was hoping to gain insight as to why since I consider him, Diallo, and Knox our best players.

Your post is the exact kind I absolutely do not understand. Why get angry over some fan's having a discussion concerning their future team? Would you prefer the board stay blank during this period?

The angry replies are reaching heights I haven't seen in my nearly 15 years on this board. Strange.

All in my completely worthless opinion as always

 

[chattanoogawildcat]

JonathanW,

What else do you recommend we talk about in the off-season with recruiting virtually finished?

Off course none of us have seen the team play yet, my reason for creating this thread is from reading all the other predicted lineups that didn't include Vanderbilt and I was hoping to gain insight as to why since I consider him, Diallo, and Knox our best players.

Your post is the exact kind I absolutely do not understand. Why get angry over some fan's having a discussion concerning their future team? Would you prefer the board stay blank during this period?

The angry replies are reaching heights I haven't seen in my nearly 15 years on this board. Strange.

All in my completely worthless opinion as always

As you have the right to your opinion, he has the right to rebut.

 

[dstroya]

From the little I've seen of most of the players on TV and all star games, not Baker and SGA, Washington is by far the best rebounder and defender in this class. 2 things that are necessary for the team to be successful. He also is the most physical player along with Richards. Has a decent outside shot, better than Diallo and Vanderbilt. So any line up without him is not IMO the best. I think Green, Diallo, Knox, Washington and SKJ start. With SGA, Baker, Vanderbilt, Gabriel and Richards backing them up to start the season.

 

[EclipsingYou]

The "right to rebut" has always been made in a way that's akin to discussing the future team in a bar with another fan.

Not a reason to declare somebody is stupid for even starting a thread.

The difference keeps getting worse, sadly.

 

[drainthatub]

Diallo, Knox, and Vanderbilt are our best players. Starting them makes the most sense to me. Vanderbilt and Knox are capable of guarding opposing 4's without any issue. On offense, this lineup creates more mismatches in our favor than can be dreamt.

Most everyone else expects a different lineup starting the game.

Respectfully, why do you see a different lineup as a better option than this one?

What am I missing? To me, this gives our best players the most opportunities to shine.

Why do you see things differently? I'm curious to get other fan's opinions without starting some kind of war like this board has been doing lately.

All in my completely worthless opinion as always.

The fact you haven't seen any of them play a game yet maybe?

 

[uk78]

Washington looked to me to be the best all around player in several of those tournaments. Vanderbilt had that one great all-star game and maybe he will be like that in other games, but Washington is whom I anticipate to start with SKJ, Knox, Green, and Diallo. Remember Cal goes by defense more than offense. I would have even suggested Gabriel over Knox because of experience, but Gabriel was so often out of position on defense that he may have more to overcome than Knox. I know Cal had said he won't ever do the Platoon again, but for me, this next Kentucky teams huge advantage would be all the players who can produce. So, depth seems way better than Duke, Kansas, Michigan State, and Arizona. You might argue that those other teams starting fives are as good or better but I don't see anyone who can match the depth. So, I hope that is used to our advantage.

 

[bucsrule8872]

I honestly feel like we will see lots of combinations before Cal decides on starters.

Still think Green, Diallo, and Knox are locks at the 1-3. Vanderbilt, Washington, and Gabriel will battle for the 4 spot (they will all likely average similar minutes) and Richards and Killeya-Jones will probably split the 5 spot prett evenly throughout the season, regardless of who starts.

I keep going back to how Cal usually wants to start his most talented guys regardless of experience. And I think he still wants to prove he can win it all with five Freshmen starters.

 

[CincinnatiWildcat]

I doubt we start with this lineup but one i would like to see is SGA, Diallo, Knox, Vanderbilt, Washington that lineup would be able to switch everything and be extremely versatile on offense

 

[fatguy87]

1's - Green, SGA
2's - SGA, Diallo, Baker
3's - Knox, Diallo
4's - Gabriel, Vanderbilt, Knox, Washinton
5's - SKJ, Richards

Those are the likely positions for the rotation players next season. At this point, any combination within that template is feasible given our rather scant information on prospects.

I'm personally most curious about Knox at the 3. He didn't show much perimeter aptitude at the all star game. If he is something akin to Darius Miller in terms of ballhandling and shooting, we'll be in great shape at the position.

*edit - added Baker to the 2's group. How could I forget about him?

 

[cats#1again]

Some of our fans are really high on Vanderbilt and low on Washington. I like both players but Washington will be hard to keep off the floor.

 

[anon_dge1vx8o0wnm7]

Platoons! (based on that I think make the best "matching")

A:
Green
Diallo
Knox
Gabriel
Richards

B:
SGA
Baker
Vanderbilt
Washington
SKJ

Shooting is spread out along with play-making and rebounding between the two

 

[MbergCat]

I tend to agree, though I think Gabriel and maybe Killeya-Jones start to begin the year.

Diallo and Knox are top 10 recruits, Cal always starts his most talented players.

Vanderbilt is on the outer cusp of top 10. He is probably top 10 if healthy, but he has rarely been totally healthy.

Green is the top rated PG.

Richards is the highest rated big on the team.

But keep in mind, Gabriel was a top 15 in a stronger class. He is the only starter we have back. He is our only player with game experience. Can't count him out.

The 1-3 spots to me are locks. The 4 and 5 spots are still yet to be determined.

I think by the end of the season it's Vanderbilt and Richards.

In all fairness, Green is ranked behind SGA at the PG position, although I do believe Green will start over him. But, as I've said before, I think that SGA will be the better pro prospect in the long run.

In a perfect world, Gabriel would come out from day one and be the guy that we saw glimpses of last season. And SKJ would come out guns blazing and be America's best kept secret. There are so many possibilities this season!

 

[Wvvrn]

So from what I've read nobody is giving SGA, Wynyard and Baker a chance to start (or even play major minutes). Most have SGA as the first PG sub but have the other two buried deep on the bench. I've seen nearly every other combination on here but those guys seem to always be left out.

I'm not informed enough on the new guys to give a good opinion on who should start but I think it's interesting that pretty much nobody thinks Wynyard will play significant minutes yet SKJ seems to be the popular pick to not only play a lot but start.

There's lots of speculation about why SKJ didn't live up to his potential last year so there may have been more going on that we don't know but in the few minutes each got last year Wynyard appeared to be the more competent player. SKJ was an insta-foul as soon as he stepped on the court.

I realize they have vastly different ceilings but I don't see why people are penciling in SKJ as a major contributor while leaving Wynyard deep on the bench. Perhaps it's mostly just wishful thinking. I'm sure they'll both be much improved but SKJ has a LONG way to go to be anything like most on here are expecting.

They both need to spend every available minute soaking up the knowledge of Kenny Payne.

 

[morgousky]

Green was recruited as our prime PG target. Name one Cal didn't start?

Diallo was recruited to lock down the perimeter and he's an athletic freak (top 10) who came back to improve his stock to lottery. Name on of those Cal didn't start.

Knox was a suprise commit, top 10 player and is super talented, probably lotto.....name one of those who didn't start.

You can lock these 3 in, and the only reason I wouldn't guarantee beyond that is because Richards has to compete with SKJ who returned, and Washington and Vanderbilt are competing with Gabriel whos spot won't be easy to take.

Green
Diallo
Knox
Gabriel
?

I would bet cash this is exactly what it looks like at this second. None of it matters though, all will play loads of minutes and get all the opportunity they want.

 

[kentucky_wildcat_#1]

I see some Kentucky fans saying Vanderbilt being maybe the most talented player on our roster for next season and i'm wondering what i might be missing with this kid. Is he really that talented? I know the kid has size and length and can handle the ball for a dude at that height, but better than Knox and Diallo? That would be hard to believe, as i believe Knox can be one of the best players in the country next season. Maybe i have not done as much research on Vanderbilt as most have. If Vanderbilt turns out to be that good, more power to Kentucky!

 

[UKWildcats#8]

Platoons! (based on that I think make the best "matching")

A:
Green
Diallo
Knox
Gabriel
Richards

B:
SGA
Baker
Vanderbilt
Washington
SKJ

Shooting is spread out along with play-making and rebounding between the two

Cal ain't platooning. Too big a drop off in talent in some of the 2nd 5. You are not gonna take away minutes from Knox and Diallo to give more to their backups. They will both get 30-ish minutes. beyond that I could see a lot of 15-25 minute type players until players separate.

 

[kev69]

It's impossible to know right now what our best starting lineup will be.

Most of us have either never seen, or seen most of these guys play very little.

Hell, I bet Cal couldn't guess right now who's going to start.

 

[anon_dge1vx8o0wnm7]

Cal ain't platooning. Too big a drop off in talent in some of the 2nd 5. You are not gonna take away minutes from Knox and Diallo to give more to their backups. They will both get 30-ish minutes. beyond that I could see a lot of 15-25 minute type players until players separate.

You're probably right, it's just fun to think about. Could switch Knox and Vando to balance out the projected "stars"

 

[kev69]

Cal ain't platooning. Too big a drop off in talent in some of the 2nd 5. You are not gonna take away minutes from Knox and Diallo to give more to their backups. They will both get 30-ish minutes. beyond that I could see a lot of 15-25 minute type players until players separate.

Totally agree.

Knox and Diallo will average 34-36 minutes agame.

 

[Mills_for_Three]

This. Wouldn't surprise me if PJ Washington doesn't challenge Richards & SKJ for the last starting spot.

PJ Washington????