WHAT THEY BRING (offensively)

An unusually just-okay offense, even for Kentucky

Generally, every Kentucky offense does the same things. They take a very low amount of threes; they get to the free throw line way too often; they aren’t great at shooting; they hammer the offensive boards. I just described every Kentucky offense for you since 2013-14! Pretty easy.

Here’s the issue: this offense is the second-worst shooting offense of Calipari’s tenure and his second-worst offensive rebounding team. Not a great combo to have, and yet it still results in the 30th-best offense in America in this particularly paltry year for offense.

Only three teams in America get fewer of their points from the three-point line than Kentucky does. It’s just simply not what they do, and while they’ve got good (Nate Sestina, 37.2%; Immanuel Quickley, 38.5%) shooters on the roster, there’s no true elite shooter to help Kentucky get over the top.

Couple this with their best-ish player being a guy that refuses to venture outside of the paint and voila, you have an even-more-clogged-than-usual Kentucky offense.

Nick Richards, of all people, has evolved into the star

Kentucky’s best offensive player is Nick Richards, which would’ve been a wild thing to think about at this time last year. Across his first two seasons, Richards was a fine role player that simply couldn’t stay on the court due to endless foul issues. Those issues still exist (4.2 fouls per 40), but are much less prominent. Couple that with an absurd 86.7% hit rate at the rim and you get why he’s such a key piece.

Richards has finally figured out what it is he does well: rim-run, cutting to the paint frequently, featuring as a versatile screener in pick-and-roll sets.

Richards’ unpredictability in these sets is probably the best feature of the entire Kentucky offense; it’s hard to tell when he’s going to pop or roll or slip.

Immanuel Quickley is probably the best shooter

At 38.5% from three, the sophomore 2-guard isn’t exactly burning down the nets, but when your team as a whole isn’t much for three-point shooting, you take what you can get.

Kentucky runs a variety of looks for Quickley – the traditional clear-out from ball-screen sets and off-ball screens, mostly.

Quickley’s not much of a guy to get to the rim, as five players have more rim attempts than he does. Instead, he settles for longer twos, which don’t often go so well for him.

Ashton Hagans is back for another run

Ashton Hagans is the point guard; you remember him from last year. Hagans still is far from a shooter, but he remains an excellent driver of the offense.

Not only does he score at the rim, he gets fouled often. His ability to draw gravity ends up producing some pretty good assists, too. Hagans is a strange matchup; he’s not particularly efficient, he’s not a good shooter, and he turns it over way too often…but he’s undeniably a great passer and a serious threat.

The lone lottery pick on the roster is…Tyrese Maxey?

It’s strange for Maxey to be fourth-billing on this roster, but that’s the type of season freshmen have had. Maxey shoots just 30.4% from downtown on a little under four attempts per game, and he hasn’t hit more than two threes in a game since Louisville on December 28.

He’s much better at driving to the rim and forcing the issue, especially when he’s able to draw fouls.

I guess if you’re picking seventh or whatever in the Draft in June, you could do a lot worse. If I were Calipari, I’d let him run point way more often; Kentucky’s offense is simply better when he does.

Others you ought to know about

Nate Sestina transferred from Bucknell and has been alright. He’s made 16 of 43 threes and is very efficient at the rim, but has been a foul machine defensively.

EJ Montgomery starts at the 4, which would normally make for more recognition, but he can’t shoot and is generally a lesser version of Richards. Again, very efficient at the rim.

Keion Brooks, Jr.: not sure what it is he does well, to be honest.

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