Matching this team up against next year's top teams

[Sparkaces1]

Svi and Graham are first round projected by draftexpress:

http://www.draftexpress.com/nba-mock-draft/2018/

Lagerald Vick and Newman are projected first round by nbadraft.net and Newman and Preston are on the board

http://www.nbadraft.net/2018mock_draft

Graham will not be a first round pick! Svi and Preston might be. The big kid may by his senior year. Newman is a 6'2 shooting guard and so is Graham for that matter, not NBA material.

 

[Cat Ballou]

I think many are seriously under-rating Quade Green.

If you follow this kid on Twitter/Instagram, you know he has more swag than Calipari. He's a triple AAA Alpha male. An 18 yr old kid from a lower middle income family in Philly, born with severe hearing loss and who overcame a speech impediment as a kid, but this kid fought through all that and is a star NOW in his community.

He's not the freak athlete that Hami is, but he's a winner and a leader. He's the kind of kid that you know is going to succeed no matter what path he chooses, and he has chosen to be PG at Kentucky. Having a guy with that personality profile as your PG is huge.

 

[kentucky_wildcat_#1]

Fair enough. There were the same practice leaks at KU last year that Newman was the best player on the team last year too, but I take those type of reports with a grain of salt.

With Jackson on last year's team, i can guarantee you that Newman wasn't the best player on your roster. Newman can improve during his rs with hard work, but most of us have watched Newman play a ton of games in the SEC and star player is something that won't happen for Newman. If Self can get Preston on the floor for KU, you guys have a chance to be one of the best in the country. Without him, i don't see a player on your roster that has what it takes to be the man and carry KU once the NCAA tourny begins. I know you guys have been waiting on SVI for what feels like 5 years now to finally show what he can do on the floor, but at some point, you have to think it's mostly hype. The dude can shoot the ball, but with the length we can throw at him, he wouldn't have many open looks and would have to make a lot of contested shots. I like Self a lot and think the dude can really coach, but he better find a way to get Preston on the floor and don't even think about Newman being the guy to carry KU once the season starts. Kid just doesn't have what it takes to do that. If the kid had a lil more size, we would be talking about a kid that would be in the NBA after his freshman year of college basketball.

 

[Nooneputsbabyinacorner]

With Jackson on last year's team, i can guarantee you that Newman wasn't the best player on your roster. Newman can improve during his rs with hard work, but most of us have watched Newman play a ton of games in the SEC and star player is something that won't happen for Newman. If Self can get Preston on the floor for KU, you guys have a chance to be one of the best in the country. Without him, i don't see a player on your roster that has what it takes to be the man and carry KU once the NCAA tourney begins. I know you guys have been waiting on SVI for what feels like 5 years now to finally show what he can do on the floor, but at some point, you have to think it's mostly hype. The dude can shoot the ball, but with the length we can throw at him, he wouldn't have many open looks and would have to make a lot of contested shots. I like Self a lot and think the dude can really coach, but he better find a way to get Preston on the floor and don't even think about Newman being the guy to carry KU once the season starts. Kid just doesn't have what it takes to do that. If the kid had a lil more size, we would be talking about a kid that would be in the NBA after his freshman year of college basketball.

Appreciate the compliments for Self, but we have a pretty good 7 man rotation. Udoka is going to be a beast in the post. Everyone discounts him because he got injured early in the year, but Vick, Graham, Svi, and Cunliffe. That's 6'5, 6'2, 6'8 and 6'6 on the perimeter plus Garrett who is a 6'5 point guard. That's all before Newman who played injured off and on his freshman year and also played out of position. Heck, he averaged 11 ppg as a freshman. I remember when that was a major accomplishment.

 

[docholiday51]

With Jackson on last year's team, i can guarantee you that Newman wasn't the best player on your roster. Newman can improve during his rs with hard work, but most of us have watched Newman play a ton of games in the SEC and star player is something that won't happen for Newman. If Self can get Preston on the floor for KU, you guys have a chance to be one of the best in the country. Without him, i don't see a player on your roster that has what it takes to be the man and carry KU once the NCAA tourny begins. I know you guys have been waiting on SVI for what feels like 5 years now to finally show what he can do on the floor, but at some point, you have to think it's mostly hype. The dude can shoot the ball, but with the length we can throw at him, he wouldn't have many open looks and would have to make a lot of contested shots. I like Self a lot and think the dude can really coach, but he better find a way to get Preston on the floor and don't even think about Newman being the guy to carry KU once the season starts. Kid just doesn't have what it takes to do that. If the kid had a lil more size, we would be talking about a kid that would be in the NBA after his freshman year of college basketball.

Preston probably will make the floor,if KU can keep that bunch from last season out of jail long enough to play a whole season then they can get one kid eligible.Self is a good coach and the home cooking they get in the Big 12 certainly helps.Smart down at Texas might give them some trouble this season,he has several pieces and if he can put them together they will be pretty good. KU will slip up and lose a Big 12 regular season title one of these years.

 

[crittel56]

Appreciate the compliments for Self, but we have a pretty good 7 man rotation. Udoka is going to be a beast in the post. Everyone discounts him because he got injured early in the year, but Vick, Graham, Svi, and Cunliffe. That's 6'5, 6'2, 6'8 and 6'6 on the perimeter plus Garrett who is a 6'5 point guard. That's all before Newman who played injured off and on his freshman year and also played out of position. Heck, he averaged 11 ppg as a freshman. I remember when that was a major accomplishment.

Yes Newman did average 11pts/gm his freshman year. He also shot 39% from the field. Let's not pretend that is a major accomplishment.

 

[kev69]

Depth is valuable but you can only play 5 at a time.Seemingly endless t v timeouts and coaches ability to "steal" minutes here or there tend to offset the depth advantage. Match-ups seem to be more important in big games.I don't think we will see Cal go anywhere near the platoon system again and honestly it remains to be seen if we have the overall talent to even talk about it.The return of Diallo takes us away from being thin at the guard spots but the 4 and 5 spots have questions that will have to be answered.

I agree about the tv timeouts. I guess depth is probably more important for foul trouble, which seems to happen a lot in tournament games.

 

[dckala2]

Really glad this team is traveling to Morgantown. That atmosphere will be as intense as it gets and will be a great test pre-tourney.

 

[dckala2]

Yea Malik Newman may end up graduating from ku.

Graham and svi are good players but will not carry a team to a championship. If the big 12 had at least one capable team outside of Kansas, this year could be the end of the streak.

This Kansas team, like many before them, look like a second weekend upset waiting to happen.

 

[docholiday51]

Yea Malik Newman may end up graduating from ku.

Graham and svi are good players but will not carry a team to a championship. If the big 12 had at least one capable team outside of Kansas, this year could be the end of the streak.

This Kansas team, like many before them, look like a second weekend upset waiting to happen.

A KU loss in the second week-end won't be an upset this year.

 

[Cefiro]

Arizona is the team to beat next year, they have all the pieces and a roster that even Miller can win a title with. Really wish we would have gotten in on Ayton earlier. Although it seemed like a long shot that he would go to college or even qualify.

 

[bucsrule8872]

Bored. So I will take a stab at it:

Green < Graham
Diallo > Newman
Knox > Mykhailiuk
Vanderbilt < Preston
Richards = Azubuike
Bench UK > KU

Green < Duval
Diallo = Allen
Knox > Trent
Vanderbilt < Carter
Richards = Bolden
Bench UK > Duke

Green > Jackson-Cartwright
Diallo = Trier
Knox = Alkins
Vanderbilt < Ayton
Richards = Ristic
Bench UK > Zona

Green > Winston
Diallo > Langford
Knox < Bridges
Vanderbilt < Jackson
Richards < Ward
Bench UK = MSU

 

[Double Oaked Juice]

A KU loss in the second week-end won't be an upset this year.

exactly. ku is probably a 3 or 4 seed this year, at best. won't be too surprising if they flame out in the elite eight.

 

[Nooneputsbabyinacorner]

exactly. ku is probably a 3 or 4 seed this year, at best. won't be too surprising if they flame out in the elite eight.

If we are a 3 or four seed, would losing in the elite 8 be flaming out or over achieving?

 

[Nooneputsbabyinacorner]

Bored. So I will take a stab at it:

Green < Graham
Diallo > Newman
Knox > Mykhailiuk
Vanderbilt < Preston
Richards = Azubuike
Bench UK > KU

Green < Duval
Diallo = Allen
Knox > Trent
Vanderbilt < Carter
Richards = Bolden
Bench UK > Duke

Green > Jackson-Cartwright
Diallo = Trier
Knox = Alkins
Vanderbilt < Ayton
Richards = Ristic
Bench UK > Zona

Green > Winston
Diallo > Langford
Knox < Bridges
Vanderbilt < Jackson
Richards < Ward
Bench UK = MSU

Green < Graham
Diallo < Newman
Knox < Mykhailiuk
Vanderbilt = Preston
Richards < Azubuike
Bench UK = KU

Green < Duval
Diallo < Allen
Knox > Trent
Vanderbilt < Carter
Richards > Bolden
Bench UK > Duke

Green < Jackson-Cartwright
Diallo < Trier
Knox = Alkins
Vanderbilt < Ayton
Richards < Ristic
Bench UK = Zona

Green < Winston
Diallo < Langford
Knox < Bridges
Vanderbilt = Jackson
Richards < Ward
Bench UK > MSU

54

 

[Kentucky fan 1989]

Do we play UNC?