As his scoring comes along, Justin Edwards continues to do the little things

Kentucky freshman Justin Edwards has been dealing with high expectations for years now, but playing under John Calipari is an entirely different beast. That’s even more true when plenty of outsiders have him projected as an NBA lottery pick and some as a potential top-three pick.

Objectively, through five games, he has yet to live up to that lofty billing, but the 6-foot-7 rookie continues to grow each and every game all while helping Kentucky (4-1) win games.

“The little stuff,” Edwards said on Wednesday about what he’s doing to impact winning. “I’ve done a lot to help our team win a lot of games. Rebounding, blocking shots, a little bit of everything, scoring sometimes.”

Those last two words are what most will focus on though — scoring sometimes. When it comes to putting the ball in the basket, that’s what critics will point to when talking about his play so far this season. The efficiency hasn’t been that bad in reality, but it’s the consistency that has failed to show up yet. A one-point showing on 0-6 shooting against No. 1 Kansas raised some eyebrows. Just two free throw attempts per game won’t cut it moving forward.

But even still, Edwards is one of six Wildcats scoring in double-figures (10.0 PPG) while shooting 46.3 percent from the field. On two-pointers, he’s actually making them at an elite clip of 62.5 percent — and that includes multiple missed dunks where he’s been blocked at the rim, which he jokingly acknowledged is something he needs to simply get past. He’s also rebounding the ball well at 4.8 boards per game. He’s been using that effort on the glass to help get in a groove on offense.

“Coach (Calipari) tells me I need to get myself going by getting offensive rebounds or a putback, something to just get myself going on the rebounding side first and then let the game come to me,” Edwards said.

Justin Edwards has been stuffed by the rim a couple of times this season. He was in good spirits when asked about it during today’s presser though.

“I honestly do not know. Honestly. I feel like I make my mind up at the last second… I just gotta start dunking the ball.” pic.twitter.com/KvfRqih3gk

— Zack Geoghegan (@ZGeogheganKSR) November 22, 2023

Defense is another area in which Edwards is helping make an impact. That’s arguably been the biggest adjustment for him from high school to college too. He was lauded as a high-level on-ball defender out of high school thanks to his size, length, and athleticism. But the same defensive plays he used to make last year aren’t there anymore. Opposing teams are rolling out seven-footers on a regular basis. The pace and physicality of the game is a step up.

“High school I didn’t really have to go hard multiple possessions,” Edwards admitted. “In high school, it was always one possession. In college, it’s multiple actions you’ve got to guard. If you get lazy, they’re gonna score. So you gotta be locked in the whole 25 seconds you’re on defense…

“Staying in front of my own man. I feel like I started off bad because I had to adjust to the speed, but I feel like I got better at staying in front of my man and knowing the reads and where to be on defense.”

Edwards also said that the coaches are telling him “good players don’t get screened” and that’s something he’s taking to heart. He’s steadily beginning to learn the nuances of playing college defense and how to move as one synced-up unit on that end of the floor.

Putting more focus on the preparation

Following Monday’s overtime win against Saint Joseph’s, John Calipari made an interesting comment about Edwards in regards to his preparation. The head coach brought it up twice actually, once during the postgame press conference and again during his postgame radio appearance with Tom Leach.

“Now, the thing with Justin, which I was — you know, you can’t prepare for a game the way you prepare,” Calipari said. “The day of the game, right before the game your preparation has to be unbelievable, excellent because you are playing to play great. Not just to play. So he’s learning. He had a great shoot around and he had a great warmup and it led to the game he had. Now, will he understand, you know, that’s important?”

Edwards finished Monday’s game with a solid line: 12 points (4-6 FG, 2-3 3PT), three rebounds, one assist, one steal, one block, and zero turnovers in 28 minutes played. He said during Wednesday’s media opportunity that Calipari hasn’t talked about preparation with him individually but did add that it’s been a message shared with the entire team.

He also acknowledged that — like everything else — it’s been a change going from high school to college in terms of preparation too. He gets a bit antsy during his pregame routine, although it helps that there’s always something to do in the 2-3 hours leading up to a game: recovery, light workouts, team meetings, etc.

“Stuff that I did last year, it’s not sliding this year,” Edwards said. “Just being more responsible with being on time and stuff.”

It’s not all going to click at one moment for Edwards. It’ll be a process, but as long as he continues to practice what is being preached by himself, his coaches, and his teammates, the five-star freshman should be just fine.

Subscribe to the KSR YouTube Channel for press conferences, interviews, original shows, fan features, and exclusive content.