Three-Point Arc: Takeaways from UK's Open Practice
Transfer guard Antonio Reeves (12) drove to the basket against freshman wing Chris Livingston during Kentucky's open practice/flood relief telethon on Tuesday night at Rupp Arena. (Jeff Drummond/Cats Illustrated)
Jeff Drummond • CatsIllustrated
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@JDrumUK
The Kentucky Wildcats opened the doors to Rupp Arena for an open practice on Tuesday night in conjunction with their telethon to benefit victims of catostrophic flooding in the eastern part of the state.
Conceived by the UK players after watching images of the flood damage on the news, the telethon helped raise over $2.4 million. Fans who attended the event were also treated to a lengthy scrimmage by the Cats, who are preparing for a highly anticipated exhibition tour of the Bahamas later this month.
Here are three takeaways from the open practice:
RELOADED BACKCOURT:
It would be hard to imagine some teams losing players as productive as TyTy Washington and Kellen Grady in the backcourt and still having a chance to be better the following year, but that's where the Cats might be after John Calipari placed a huge emphasis on the position in this recruiting class. Freshman Cason Wallace has the look of a fan favorite in the making with his aggressiveness and confidence on both ends of the floor. Redshirt CJ Fredrick came out smoking in the scrimmage, draining three early 3-pointers, and even the ones he missed later on looked like they were going to drop. Even more important, he showed no signs of the two surgeries he had during the last year, moving really well and elevating on his shot.
Veteran Sahvir Wheeler was his typcial tempo-setting Energizer bunny, but perhaps the biggest revelation was how good transfer portal wing Antonio Reeves looked. Whether it was slashing to the hole or pulling up for 3, he looked equally dangerous. Nobody could stay in front of him during this practice.
Freshman Chris Livingston may be considered a combo-type player, but he was more advanced with his ball-handling skills than I had envisioned, so perhaps he will lean more toward guard than forward. He's really unique. I'm struggling to come up with a recent UK player comp for him. With his phsyical frame, he could be the Cats' most versatile player this season. Freshman Adou Thiero looked to be a step behind his backcourt mates from a confidence/experience standpoint but he did not look out of place athletically.
DRAFT EVALUTION SEEMED TO HELP TOPPIN:
Working out with his high-profile brother and other NBA players this spring and summer before getting a pre-draft evaluation from league scouts seemed to really leave Jacob Toppin in a good place. He looked more confident than ever during the scrimmage, aggressively seeking his shot and even creating it off the bounce a couple of times, something we haven't seen a whole lot of during his time at UK. It also appeared that Toppin has put some good work in on his handle. He seemed more willing to drive the ball than last season, when he'd often settle for intermediate jump shots.
Reports of him growing seem to be accurate as well. He might be pushing 6-9 (or more). A couple of times when he was alongside Oscar Tshiebwe, he looked taller than the reigning national player of the year.
MORE ATHLETICISM, LENGTH AT 2, 3, 4:
As former UK All-American Jack "Goose" Givens pointed out during a sideline interview, this group of Wildcats appear to have one big advantage over last year's squad. The athleticism, bounce, and length at the 2, 3, and 4 spots should give Calipari a lot more options on both ends of the floor. The UK boss noted that the Cats aren't very far along on the defensive end of the floor in preseason workouts, but you can definitely see the raw physical skills to be a disruptive team.
Wheeler should be a pest on the ball once again. Wallace may be one of the more advanced defenders we've seen out of the high school ranks in recent years. There's a bit of a Michael Kidd-Gilchrist swagger there. Reeves came to Lexington known as a scorer, but may be one of those guys that Cal develops into a good defender as well. And guys like Livingston, Toppin, and Collins give you all kinds of options to guard multiple positions.
Kentucky forward Jacob Toppin soared for a windmill dunk on the fast break. (Jeff Drummond/Cats Illustrated)
