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Stephen Zimmerman A Huge Miss For Kentucky Wildcats

By Cody Daniel

Mar 28, 2015; Chicago, IL, USA; McDonalds High School All American athlete Stephen Zimmerman Jr. (33) poses for pictures during portrait day at the Westin Hotel. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 28, 2015; Chicago, IL, USA; McDonalds High School All American athlete Stephen Zimmerman Jr. (33) poses for pictures during portrait day at the Westin Hotel. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports /
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After the departure of Willie Cauley-Stein, Karl-Anthony Towns, Dakari Johnson and Trey Lyles, who have all declared for the upcoming NBA Draft, John Calipari and the Kentucky Wildcats have some major work to do in order to establish yet another dominant paint presence next season.

With all four of the Wildcats’ key contributors down low now gone, with only one successor in place in ESPN’s No. 3-ranked recruit, Skal Labissiere, Kentucky has some major question marks in the paint and after Stephen Zimmerman committed to UNLV this week over Arizona and UK, these questions become more concerning as they may go unanswered.

Where Zimmerman deciding to stay at home to play his college ball becomes an issue arises when you look at the other available options. At this point, Labissiere is projected to start at center for the Wildcats.

Although Labissiere would have likely found himself in the starting lineup, regardless of who still remained – outside of WCS and Towns – he comes in as the starter by default with Kentucky having no other proven big men, much less centers on their roster. If Calipari decided to try and go big, his best option at power forward will be Marcus Lee.

Yes, Lee has shown brief glimpses of what he can bring with his energy and hustle, but what they lost out on in Zimmerman is much more special than anything Lee, or even Alex Poythress could bring to the paint.

So where does Kentucky go from here to fill that void in the paint?

When you look at the available options, Calipari seemingly has only two more chances two strike gold and bring in a big name paint presence. Along with Zimmerman, Caleb Swanigan, ESPN’s No. 3 center, chose to take the Tom Izzo route at Michigan State. These leave’s Kentucky down to only two remaining home run talents considering them; Thon Maker and Cheick Diallo.

Apr 1, 2015; Chicago, IL, USA; McDonalds High School All American West boys center Stephen Zimmerman Jr. (33) takes a shot against East center Cheick Diallo (13) during the McDonalds High School All American Games at the United Center. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 1, 2015; Chicago, IL, USA; McDonalds High School All American West boys center Stephen Zimmerman Jr. (33) takes a shot against East center Cheick Diallo (13) during the McDonalds High School All American Games at the United Center. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports /

One would think that with Calipari’s recruiting pedigree and the open spot in the paint for the taking, at least one of these guys would be a sure bet to become a Wildcat, but that doesn’t appear to be the case.

Kentucky was once the clear-cut favorite for Maker, but they’re now in a two-horse race with Bill Self and the Kansas Jayhawks to land his services. Foregoing college and turning pro overseas has also been an option that’s been widely rumored surrounding Maker.

Diallo, on the other hand, is projected to land at St. John’s, per 247Sports, with Kansas as the second-leading favorite to land Diallo’s services.

This goes to show that the options down low Calipari currently has at his disposal is very likely going to be as good as it gets. If Kentucky were able to land Zimmerman, they would have had a freshman duo down low that would have contended for the best frontcourt in the nation.

But instead, Calipari will need to start praying he lands one of his final two options, or rely upon the junior and former McDonald’s All-American in Lee to shoulder the load when the season starts.

You also have to consider Poythress as the starter, as Labissiere will need someone to provide relief minutes and the only quality option would be Lee. This would allow Kentucky to run a three-guard offense with Poythress at power forward and Derek Willis coming off the bench.

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As crazy as it may sound, Kentucky could easily be stuck with it’s weakest frontcourt since Nerlens Noel went down with a torn ACL. It’s crazy to say having three All-Americans in the paint would still be considered weak, but that’s only by the standards at Kentucky.

With the guy who could have assured another dominant frontcourt in Zimmerman now off the board, what’s the next move for Calipari to assure the Wildcat’s lack of experienced depth inside doesn’t become their vulnerability in 2015-16?

Next: What's Next For Villanova?

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