The Kentucky Wildcats have four freshman on their roster, and the best one is center Karl-Anthony Towns.
Even though Towns is arguably the best player on Kentucky, and a sure-fire top-three 2015 NBA Draft pick (if he wisely chooses to declare), two of the most important players on the roster are none other than Trey Lyles and Devin Booker.
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For as good as Towns is, he’s got reinforcements in Willie Cauley-Stein and Marcus Lee that will always have his back. Anytime that he’s in foul trouble anyone of those two behemoths can sub in for him. For as good as the perimeter guards of Kentucky are Andrew Harrison has Tyler Ulis as his sub.
But what happens if Aaron Harrison isn’t having a good game? Who’s going to sub in for him? What happens when Willie Cauley-Stein or Karl-Anthony Towns aren’t playing well on offense, where would Kentucky look for a low-post score?
The reason why these Booker and Lyles are so crucial to Kentucky’s success is because when they’re rolling, Kentucky’s almost near impossible to defeat. More importantly, they’re roles are pretty much irreplaceable on the team.
The Human Spark Plug
It took Devin Booker a bit of time to get used to the rigors and excitement of the NCAA tournament. In the beginning of the tournament he looked nervous and uncharacteristically only scored a combined eight points in his first two games.
Since those games though he’s scored in double figures every game since. After watching the way that he played against Notre Dame it was evident that his presence is much-needed to Kentucky’s success.
Booker’s primarily known as a marksman sharpshooter that has in the gym range. Because of the sound mechanics on his jump shot he’s lethal from any spot on the floor. During the season Booker is making his opponents pay from the three-point line as he’s making his three-pointers at a 41.1 percent clip.
Most shooters are only good when it comes to spot up shooting, but that’s not the case with Booker. This freshman has a lightning quick release and because of his ball handling ability he can put the basketball on the floor and take his man off the dribble, and pull up in their face like there was no defense present.
This season Booker’s shooting leaves him as the second best shooter on Kentucky’s roster when it comes to true shooting percentage. He only trails Karl-Anthony Towns in that category as his true shooting percentage stands at 60 percent.
It’s not a secret though, if Kentucky wants to advance to the national championship game, and potentially capture the ninth championship in school history, Booker’s going to have to become a key contributor.
“@BigB1ue9ation: Devin Booker. https://t.co/KvaoS8jpqV” shoulda been an, And1 😤
— B-Rad From Malibu 🔥 (@KriimDeLaKriim) March 13, 2015
As a floor spacer, Booker is going to have to make shots against Wisconsin, and potentially Duke or Michigan State, if Kentucky wants to capture a national championship.
They are going to need Booker to shoot the lights out to compete with either Duke’s Quinn Cook, Tyus Jones and Justise Winslow or Michigan State’s Travis Trice and Denzel Valentine. In the immediate future Booker’s going to have to steal the show with his shooting from Wisconsin’s Sam Dekker, Frank Kaminsky and Bronson Koenig.
The Mamba Fundamental
Most of the season, Trey Lyles has been playing out of position. Lyles has great skills on the perimeter but he’s not necessarily a true small forward.
Instead of Lyles being a hinderance as a small forward, he’s seamlessly fit in the starting lineup and it’s helped Kentucky to boast arguably a front line that could rival most NBA teams. Lyles stands at 6-foot-10 and 235 pounds, and he gives Kentucky the biggest matchup advantage known to college basketball.
Out of all the post players on Kentucky, Lyles might have the best post-up game of them all. Because of his good size and strong frame, Lyles makes it a habit to bully his opponents.
A lot of people say that Lyles has an old man’s game, which is a euphemism for saying that someone’s a below the rim player. Lyles might not be jumping out of the gym but it doesn’t hinder his ability to become a factor offensively.
Whether Lyles is using the jump hook, backing his opponent down and then using a drop step, shooting a jump shot, or cutting to the rim, he’s shown himself as a reliable interior scorer for Kentucky. It’s because of his footwork, and soft touch that he’s able to get shots off whenever he pleases against his opponent.
In the 2015 NCAA tournament, Lyles has scored in double figures in all but one game that he’s played in. Additionally, he’s also been able to rebound well, which only helps Kentucky’s chances to win. In his second tournament game he recorded a double-double against Cincinnati when he finished with a great stat line of 11 points, 11 rebounds, one assist, one steal and two blocked shots.
In fact, during the NCAA tournament Lyles hasn’t had a game with fewer than five rebounds.
Wildcat Blue Nation
Lyles ability to rebound the basketball is going to prove itself valuable going up against a Wisconsin team that loves to score points and can hurt their opponents when they are given second chance opportunities. For as great as Lyles is on offense though his biggest challenge against Wisconsin will be on defense.
Lyles at times against Wisconsin will most likely have to draw the assignments against Frank Kaminsky, Sam Dekker, and/or Nigel Hayes. His ability to guard multiple positions is going to become his most important skill set if Kentucky wants to advance to the national championship game.
These freshman are going to get reiled on heavy during the final four. But that comes with the territory of being on a Kentucky Wildcats roster. Thankfully Coach John Calipari has some of the most talented players on his roster regardless of their age.
Youth is served.
Next: SEC: The NCAA Tournament Turned Andrew Harrison Into An NBA Player Overnight
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