WT Senior Board Moderator
The Hall of Fame Tip-Off was two games and what appeared to be two completely different Kentucky teams. But at a closer look, the two games were not that different. Even in a 38 point blowout of Penn State and a hard fought 10 point victory over Old Dominion, there were many common themes. Here is what I saw:Positives:
• Doron Lamb is a completely different player. He is not just a shooter anymore. He is the only player on this team that is comfortable driving to the gaps in a defense and creating shots for himself and others. The others will get there I am sure, but right now the offense flows through Doron Lamb.
• Better spacing on fast breaks. In the exhibition and Marist games, we were too cluttered and disorganized on fast break opportunities. These last three games have shown much improvement, though. We are filling the lanes and seem more controlled on fast break opportunities.
• Kyle Wiltjer received Calipari’s message. You heard Calipari say Wiltjer needed to earn his minutes by being more physical on the glass and coming up with loose balls. Only two rebounds in the Penn State game in 28 minutes to five rebounds in 11 minutes in the Old Dominion game.
• Interior passing. All of our big men can create for each other. Davis, Jones, and Wiltjer are all very skilled passers for big men. Having big men who can distribute is very important in this offense.
• Anthony Davis’ body control. Davis still has not fully grasped things on the offensive end but I have no reason to think he will not. Everything Davis does is smooth and seems effortless. He is always in control and does not make many mental mistakes. Davis has a very rare skill-set and is going to be a great player when he fully understands the offense.
• Three point shooting. We continue to shoot a good percentage from beyond the arc. 42% over the two games. Three point shooting is very important in the NCAA Tournament. Being able to shoot around the 40% mark is going to be very important for us.
• Defense. The defense over the two days was phenomenal. Holding Penn State and Old Dominion to a combined 36 for 123 from the field. That is 29% from the field!
• Three point defense specifically. The last two years Calipari’s teams have struggled to guard the three early in the season. This team closes out on every open shooter. Outside jump shots do not go uncontested with this team.
• Darius Miller is accepting his role this year. In the first game, we were in control from the opening tip. Miller got his teammates involved, played solid defense, and did all the little things right. Then in the second game, when others around him were struggling offensively, Miller showed leadership by stepping up and scoring a team-high 13 points.
• Shying away from the Dribble Drive. I say this is a positive because of Calipari’s willingness to change his offensive game plan to the strengths of his team. We are running a lot more screens, pick and rolls, etc. this year instead of a true Dribble Drive.
• Michael Kidd-Gilchrist is becoming a vocal leader. If you pay close attention after we score a basket, Kidd-Gilchrist is usually the one yelling out to set up the press. This kid looks like a natural leader on the floor.
• One of my main complaints during the first two years of the John Calipari era has been the inability to attack a zone offensively. However, for a team that has never worked on attacking a zone, they looked pretty good against it vs. Old Dominion. It was a low scoring game, and the offensive production was not where you would expect it to be. However, Lamb, Miller, and Kidd-Gilchrist were all effective at attacking the zone. All three of these guys from the wing flashed to the free throw line and attacked the gaps.
• Unselfishness. It is unbelievable how unselfish all these guys are. When you have roster filled five-star high school players who are used to getting a lot of shots and scoring a lot of points, getting them to play together is always a task. This team has bought into Calipari and they are willing to make an extra pass and give up the bucket to a teammate.
• Kyle Wiltjer has a very polished offensive game. I did not see Wiltjer contributing much on this team, but if he continues to buy into what Calipari is selling and can be more physical and haul in more rebounds then Wiltjer is a match-up nightmare for a lot of teams. He has a nice touch from outside, he can handle the ball, and he is very fundamental on the low block.
• Michael Kidd-Gilchrist is flawless on fast breaks. I understand why Calipari says if Kidd-Gilchrist is ahead of you for a fast break and you do not get him the ball, you are coming out. Kidd-Gilchrist just does not make mistakes on fast breaks. He gives the ball up when he should and he takes it himself when he should. You do not see any “You should have done that instead” moments with Kidd-Gilchrist in the open court.
• Terrence Jones is turning down three point shots. Last season I criticized Jones heavily for his quick trigger from the outside. Even with his ability to shoot from outside, Jones needs to play his game, and take his shots from 15 feet and in. The only three pointers he is shooting are wide open, and he is not forcing them the way he did last season.
• Fighting through adversity. Upsets happen when you let teams like Old Dominion hang around. When Old Dominion cut the lead to one late in the second half, we did not panic, we continued to play our game, and ended up building a comfortable double-digit lead.
Negatives:
• Still settling for too many outside shots to open the game. I am not sure what it is about this team, but we are not the same team early that we are after halftime. Early in games, we are not running the offense and instead settling for outside jump shots.
• Marquis Teague. Many are not worried about him, but I am. Many will point to the turnovers from Knight, Wall, and Bledsoe in their first few games under Calipari, but going by the eye test, I am more worried about Teague than the previous guards. Under Wall and Knight, even with the mistakes they made, the offense clearly ran through them. I do not see that with Teague. The positives are not outweighing the negatives with Teague right now. The offense is just flat out better with Teague on the bench and Lamb running the point.
• Terrence Jones played soft. In typical Terrence Jones form, he showed spurts of being physical but, for the most part, he is not putting his body to good use. The guy is 6’9, 240 pounds of solid muscle and is constantly pushed around by smaller guys.
• Free throws. I am so tired of writing this in the negative section. They are called “Free” for a reason. 63% over the two weekend games is pathetic.
• Rebounding. If we rebound like this against teams that can match our athleticism, we are in trouble. Henson and Zeller will dominate the game December 3rd if we do not fix this. We were only +12 in two games combined in rebounding margin. And this is against Penn State and Old Dominion.
• Laziness. It is not a constant problem, but this team does have a tendency to get lazy at times. For a perfect example of this team getting lazy go to the 4:00 minute mark in the first half of the Penn State game. Vargas is fighting with three Penn State players for a rebound, Wiltjer is giving a pathetic effort, and Miller, Lamb, and Teague are all standing around watching.
Overall I think this was a good learning experience for a young team. Old Dominion is a good basketball team and the game on Sunday is the type of game we are going to see early in the NCAA Tournament. While many are down on this team after the performance against Old Dominion, I am not too worried. I am worried about Teague and the lack of rebounding, but I do not see it being a problem that will not be fixed. The talent is there, we will be okay. Just remember, this is a John Calipari team, and I cannot stress this to fans enough, this is not the same team you are going to see in February and March!
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