Cats Illustrated previews Saturday's Blue-White scrimmage with a look at some key storylines to watch for.
LINK: Kentucky starts the season at No. 4 in the Coaches Poll
LINK: Preseason basketball roundtable and predictions
PREMIUM LINK: T.J.'s Takes following UK's recent basketball practice
Isaac Humphries' health. Right now there's no reason to be worried about Isaac Humphries' health long-term. But this week John Calipari did say that Humphries had only practiced twice in the previous 10 days, roughly.
Calipari said there had been some swelling in Humphries' knee. Given how important the sophomore big man could be for Kentucky this year it's clear Calipari would be playing it safe with Humphries. But the sooner Humphries is ready for full-go, the better. Having Humphries available for extended action in the Blue-White scrimmage would also help reveal more about the dynamics on this team, like how the big men might with or against one another.
At SEC Media Day, Calipari left the door open to the possibility that Humphries might play on Friday.
A different kind of point guard. Don't mistake De'Aaron Fox for Tyler Ulis. That shouldn't be too difficult because Kentucky's current starting point guard and Ulis have very little in common.
Ulis was an undersized, sharpshooting assist machine who rarely turned the ball over. Fox? He's long, athletic and skilled. Fox is expected to be a very good defender for Kentucky, and his ability to distribute the ball has been praised by everyone who has watched him. But he might not be the kind of shooter Ulis was, and he'll probably turn the ball over more. The Blue-White scrimmage will be our best look at Fox to date, and it will help show what the Cats are working with at point guard.
All eyes on Briscoe's shot. Until Isaiah Briscoe starts shooting at a higher clip -- from deep, from the charity stripe, from 10-, 12-, 15-feet, from everywhere but right around the rim -- his shot is going to be a big topic of discussion. One scrimmage won't be a great barometer of Briscoe's improvement from 2015-16, but it will be the start of his sophomore-year cycle of scrutiny.
Speaking of shooting .... Most pundits believe this Kentucky team has the skill, athleticism, length and depth to make a deep run in the NCAA Tournament. But there are questions about this team as it relates to its ability to shoot the ball. With Ulis andJamal Murray gone, the only proven returning three-point threat is Derek Willis.
Just how good Kentucky is from deep will be decided by a few things. Can Mychal Mulder steal more minutes than last year? Will Dominique Hawkins have more moments like his three-point outburst against Louisville? How improved is Briscoe's shot? Are reports of Malik Monk's improved range and consistency true, and if so, is the change lasting? And how will Fox shoot when the real games start?
How will the scoring load be distributed? Again, one scrimmage won't decide that. But the scrimmage will help show a lot about the players on this team. Who's going to have a quick trigger? Who's got a green light? Who's the type to shoot himself out of a slump, and who will cut his losses and start passing when his shot isn't falling? Who will get the most shots? Who will pick his spots?
Whether it's Malik Monk, Bam Adebayo or someone else who leads Kentucky in scoring, we'll learn a little bit from tonight's scrimmage.
Willis at the three or four? Most speculation seems to be that Derek Willis will primarily play as a stretch four when he's on the court. That's in part due to the fact that Willis can stretch the defense well from that spot, and in part because he thinks he's a better defender when he's guarding someone closer to the rim (that's probably a safe bet).
Part of it is due to the fact that Fox, Monk and Briscoe are all going to be on the court with one another for extended periods of time. But Willis could get plenty of playing time at the three spot when one of those guards is out of the game. Where will he play tonight, and how much?
LINK: Kentucky starts the season at No. 4 in the Coaches Poll
LINK: Preseason basketball roundtable and predictions
PREMIUM LINK: T.J.'s Takes following UK's recent basketball practice
Isaac Humphries' health. Right now there's no reason to be worried about Isaac Humphries' health long-term. But this week John Calipari did say that Humphries had only practiced twice in the previous 10 days, roughly.
Calipari said there had been some swelling in Humphries' knee. Given how important the sophomore big man could be for Kentucky this year it's clear Calipari would be playing it safe with Humphries. But the sooner Humphries is ready for full-go, the better. Having Humphries available for extended action in the Blue-White scrimmage would also help reveal more about the dynamics on this team, like how the big men might with or against one another.
At SEC Media Day, Calipari left the door open to the possibility that Humphries might play on Friday.
A different kind of point guard. Don't mistake De'Aaron Fox for Tyler Ulis. That shouldn't be too difficult because Kentucky's current starting point guard and Ulis have very little in common.
Ulis was an undersized, sharpshooting assist machine who rarely turned the ball over. Fox? He's long, athletic and skilled. Fox is expected to be a very good defender for Kentucky, and his ability to distribute the ball has been praised by everyone who has watched him. But he might not be the kind of shooter Ulis was, and he'll probably turn the ball over more. The Blue-White scrimmage will be our best look at Fox to date, and it will help show what the Cats are working with at point guard.
All eyes on Briscoe's shot. Until Isaiah Briscoe starts shooting at a higher clip -- from deep, from the charity stripe, from 10-, 12-, 15-feet, from everywhere but right around the rim -- his shot is going to be a big topic of discussion. One scrimmage won't be a great barometer of Briscoe's improvement from 2015-16, but it will be the start of his sophomore-year cycle of scrutiny.
Speaking of shooting .... Most pundits believe this Kentucky team has the skill, athleticism, length and depth to make a deep run in the NCAA Tournament. But there are questions about this team as it relates to its ability to shoot the ball. With Ulis andJamal Murray gone, the only proven returning three-point threat is Derek Willis.
Just how good Kentucky is from deep will be decided by a few things. Can Mychal Mulder steal more minutes than last year? Will Dominique Hawkins have more moments like his three-point outburst against Louisville? How improved is Briscoe's shot? Are reports of Malik Monk's improved range and consistency true, and if so, is the change lasting? And how will Fox shoot when the real games start?
How will the scoring load be distributed? Again, one scrimmage won't decide that. But the scrimmage will help show a lot about the players on this team. Who's going to have a quick trigger? Who's got a green light? Who's the type to shoot himself out of a slump, and who will cut his losses and start passing when his shot isn't falling? Who will get the most shots? Who will pick his spots?
Whether it's Malik Monk, Bam Adebayo or someone else who leads Kentucky in scoring, we'll learn a little bit from tonight's scrimmage.
Willis at the three or four? Most speculation seems to be that Derek Willis will primarily play as a stretch four when he's on the court. That's in part due to the fact that Willis can stretch the defense well from that spot, and in part because he thinks he's a better defender when he's guarding someone closer to the rim (that's probably a safe bet).
Part of it is due to the fact that Fox, Monk and Briscoe are all going to be on the court with one another for extended periods of time. But Willis could get plenty of playing time at the three spot when one of those guards is out of the game. Where will he play tonight, and how much?
