Does Antonio Reeves move the needle on Kentucky's season?

On the periphery, any team returning its second-leading scorer – and fifth-year senior – is a big deal across the college basketball landscape. Antonio Reeves averaged 14.4 points per game for Kentucky last season, second behind All-SEC performer Oscar Tsheibwe. The 6-foot-4 shooting guard also paced the Wildcats by shooting 39.8 percent from three.

The issue is the other six players who finished in Kentucky’s top seven in scoring will no longer be with the program. Oscar Tshiebwe, Jacob Toppin, Cason Wallace, and Chris Livingston all declared – and kept their names in – for the NBA Draft. Sahvir Wheeler, CJ Frederick, Lance Ware, and Daimion Collins all entered the transfer portal and found other homes.

Last season, Kentucky had 11 players who played 6.9 or more minutes per game, and they all had eligibility remaining. With Reeves announcing his return, only three will be back with the program, with Adou Thiero (9.5) and Ugonna Onyenso (6.9) each playing less than ten minutes per contest.

Prior to Antonio Reeves’s official announcement, Kentucky had nine players on its roster (and Brennan Canada) for next season. The average age of those players is 18.63 years old. The two returning players, Thiero and Onyenso, are both less than 20 years old, with Onyenso being 18 with a September 2004 birthday. In a sport where just last season, San Diego State and Florida Atlantic showed that age matters in college basketball, Kentucky will have, undoubtedly, one of the youngest rosters in college basketball.

However…

There is no shortage of talent

Kentucky’s 2023 class currently ranks No. 1 in the On3 Team Rankings. They bring in four players ranked among the Top 15 in the 2023 On3 Industry Ranking and a fifth, Reed Sheppard (No. 37), who was a McDonald’s All-American.

Justin Edwards, a 6-foot-7 wing from Philadephia (PA) Imhotep Charter, finished as the No. 2 overall player in the 2023 On3 Industry Ranking. In his four high school seasons, Edwards’ team compiled a 94-15 record and two consecutive state championships. He averaged 17.9 points while shooting 57.8 percent from the field his senior season.

DJ Wagner, son of former NBA Draft lottery pick DaJuan Wagner, maintained top-ten status in the class from start to finish. The 6-foot-3 guard was a McDonald’s All-American, USA Basketball gold medalist, and the New Jersey Gatorade Player of the Year. Wagner’s four teams at Camden (NJ) High were 96-6 overall, with a state championship.

Despite his poor shooting numbers throughout the Overtime Elite League last season, 33.3 percent from the field and 31.9 percent from three, Robert Dillingham enters his freshman season with a reputation for scoring. The USA Basketball gold medalist averaged 18.2 points on 44.9 percent from the field and 29.1 percent from three with Team CP3 on Nike’s EYBL Circuit last summer. Aaron Bradshaw, the 7-foot-1 center, is the No. 1 ranked player at his position in the 2023 On3 150. The early word out of Lexington is that he will get an opportunity to play some at the four. He averaged 12.1 points, 9.4 rebounds, and 2.4 blocks for his 23-2 Camden (NJ) High team.

Recently, Kentucky added two more pieces. Jordan Burks, a 6-foot-9 wing forward that led the Overtime Elite league in scoring at 27.1 points per game on 46.7 percent from the field. Burks was the No. 101 player in the 2023 On3 150. Three-star shooting guard Joey Hart, a Central Florida de-commit, scored 1,901 career points at Linton (IN) Linton-Stockton High.

Kentucky recently got a visit from massive 6-11/240-pound center Somto Cyril, a four-star in the 2024 On3 Industry Ranking. Cyril, who is in conversations about re-classifying into the 2023 class, averaged 8.1 points, 6.4 rebounds, and 3.4 blocks per game playing in the Overtime Elite league last season. There are heavy rumors surrounding 6-foot-9 West Virginia grad transfer Tre Mitchell, who entered his name in the transfer portal on Friday.

Even with upwards of eight freshmen coming in, there is definitely talent on the roster.

Onyenso and Theiero return

Antonio Reeves returns with the most college minutes played, there are two others who also return to Lexington from last season’s team. And while the pair played less than ten minutes per game, both Ugonna Onyenso and Adou Thiero flashed next-level potential. Onyenso is a 6-foot-11 post player who was originally part of the 2023 class and re-classified to enter the Kentucky program a year early. There was some conversation surrounding him classifying up and then possibly redshirting; however, he performed, and played.

Onyenso is a premier shot-blocking talent. He used his mobility and 7-foot-5 wing span to average 5.8 blocks and 15.1 rebounds per-40 minutes. He played behind the team’s leader in minutes Oscar Tsheibwe and competed with the more seasoned Lance Ware and Daimion Collins for the backup minutes. A breakout season could be on the horizon.

Thiero, the son of former Calipari forward Almany Thiero, largely flew under the radar. Growing up in the Pittsburgh area, he did not play mainstream travel ball. However, he did pad the stats in high school, leading his team to a 27-1 record and a birth in the PIAA state title game. At 6-foot-6, 200 pounds with a 6-foot-11 wing span, Thiero showed flashes throughout his first year in Lexington. He has the look of a connective wing, one who can defend multiple spots, move the ball, create some in the half-court, and score when called upon.

It is worth noting that both Onyenso and Thiero have next-level, best-case ceilings.

What does Reeves bring?

The two most obvious things that Antonio Reeves adds to the 2023-24 roster are experience and shooting. Reeves led Kentucky by knocking down 39.8 percent of his three-point attempts last season. The 6-foot-4 shooting guard has scored 1,683 career points at a 48.6 clip from the field.

Reeves has also played in 123 career games, with 74 career starts between his time at Illinois State and Kentucky. As the roster stands, he will be the only player with any career college starts. While experience does not necessarily equate to leadership, Reeves has been there before.

2023-24 Kentucky

To say this has been a bizarre off-season for head coach John Calipari might be an understatement. The Wildcats lost eight of its top ten in minutes per game from last season, all with college eligibility remaining. Kentucky will also bring in the nation’s No. 1 recruiting class.

What we know is the roster will have talent. More than talent, this roster will have draft picks. We also know that Calipari has a track record of molding NBA talent together and creating wins. However, losing so much while adding so much youth has led to a lot of questions surrounding the roster. Here are a couple that I have.

1. How good are the freshmen?

It has been well documented that the 2023 high school class is down from years prior. NBA scouts are already talking about the 2024 NBA Draft, the first draft that players from the 2023 high school will be eligible for, as one of the worst in recent memory. So while the Wildcats are bringing in the No. 1 class, what does that truly mean?

In years past, Kentucky’s top-five recruiting classes have consisted of players like Anthony Davis, Keldon Johnson, Karl Anthony Towns, De’Aaron Fox, Bam Adebayo, and a long line of others. Guys who were obvious difference-makers at every level of basketball. Can DJ Wagner and Justin Edwards provide that same type of pop to this year’s team?

2. Who is the point guard?

John Calipari’s best teams have had dynamic point guards, dating all the way back to Edgar Padilla at UMass. A look through Coach Cal’s lineup of PGs, and you instantly see the likes of Derrick Rose, John Wall, De’Aaron Fox, and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. A long list of players where you can put the ball in their hands, and they can make something happen.

Who on this roster does that? Wagner and Dillingham are at their best when their eyes are fixated on the rim, and they are scoring the ball. Reed Sheppard has been at his best when he is acting as a connecting guard with a playmaker beside him. There is a difference between a player who can get you into sets and being a point guard. It is a feel position, and while you can teach some aspects of being a point guard, in totality, it is something you are born with. Who on this roster can get it done?

Who is the featured guy?

Antonio Reeves averaged 20.1 points per game during the 2021-22 season at Illinois State. That year he led the MVC in points per game and in field goal attempts per game. With that said, his team finished 13-20 that season, finishing third from last place in the conference and having their coach step down mid-season. Can Reeves carry the load on an SEC team?

When Reeves was making shots, Kentucky was at its best last season. However, playing beside the reigning National Player of the Year in Oscar Tshiebwe and playing alongside the SEC’s No. 2 assist man in Shavir Wheeler as well as a projected lottery pick, Cason Wallace, took some pressure off Reeves.

DJ Wagner, the three-time Max Preps New Jersey high school Player of the Year, scored 2,000 career points in high school. Robert Dillingham led elite eight-bound Team CP3 in scoring on Nike’s EYBL Circuit last summer and averaged over 14 points per game, playing largely as one of the youngest players in the Overtime Elite League this season. These are both players who have spent the majority of their basketball playing lives putting the ball in the bucket. However, you simply never know how quickly the adjustment period can and will be for freshmen.