BBNBA: 29 notes on Kentucky's 29 NBA Players ahead of 2022 season

What’s that? The NBA starts its regular season tonight and you had no idea? Put your worries aside, KSR has you covered on the colony of former ‘Cats in the league. 29 of them to be exact.

Also, I’m going to rank all 29 in order of where they stand as players. So the best at the top and so forth. Sure to cause some controversy. But great fodder for argument from the feisty KSCommenters.

So, one by one, here’s a snippet on every one of our guys ahead of the 2021-22 season.

Tier 1: Superstars

1. Anthony Davis | Los Angeles Lakers

The Lakers couldn’t exterminate an injury bug last season that infected Davis and LeBron James. But that’s no reason to forget the recent past: the Lakers were 2020 NBA champs and Anthony Davis is the best two-way basketball player in the world aside from Giannis Antetokounmpo.

If LeBron time-manages his way through this season and takes a small step back in year 19, Davis could be a sneaky MVP candidate as he keeps the Lakers at the top of the West standings. Also should see some added alley-oops from the Russell Westbrook addition.

2. Devin Booker | Phoenix Suns

Booker “broke out” in 2021, although he’s been one of the league’s best perimeter scorers for years. But he made his first splash in the Playoffs, and it was a cannonball that landed the Suns in the NBA Finals — and two wins away from a championship.

Phoenix fluffed up its depth but didn’t change anything major. If Chris Paul’s postseason injuries linger and, like LeBron, his play scales back a bit in his 19th year, expect some MVP buzz for Booker, as well, he takes another step and keeps Phoenix in Western Conference contention.

Tier 2: Not-quite-super Stars

3. Julius Randle | New York Knicks

The BBNBA team could not get enough of Randle’s star-making 2021 campaign. He set career-highs across the board, made more threes than Trae Young, received MVP votes and inflicted Grinch-like change in the hearts of long-suffering Knicks fans. Now, imagine last year’s Randle with more surrounding talent and a full Garden. The Kentucky Knicks won’t stop now!

4. Karl-Anthony Towns | Minnesota Timberwolves

First off, check out this feature on KAT by Sports Illustrated’s Michael Pina. It’s a wonderful look into just how hard Karl’s life has been since the pandemic began.

Secondly, I feel a Booker-esque breakout could be on the horizon for Towns and the Timberwolves. KAT is a phenomenon at the five statistically and he may finally have the surrounding pieces to achieve…something. With he and D’Angelo Russell on the court in ’21, Minny was above-.500 at 13-12. Plus, Anthony Edwards flashed potential and led the league in shot-taking for a month. Could be something brewing up north.

5. De’Aaron Fox | Sacramento Kings

Stop me if you’ve heard this before: star Kentucky player drafted by and stuck on a perennial loser. The Kings’ administration is messier than a Goodfellas murder sequence but Fox remains their North Star.

He quietly smashed his career highs a season ago, raising his scoring average by four points (25.2) while improving his effective field goal percentage and making more threes than he ever has. I want to be optimistic about the Kings breaking their 15-year playoff drought, but it’s more likely they set an NBA record by missing their 16th in a row.

6. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander | Oklahoma City Thunder

Nothing in the NBA infuriates me more than SGA having his talent wasted by a loss-loving franchise that might have more draft picks than wins over the next three years. And Shai is still remarkably productive. He averaged 23.7 points, 4.7 rebounds, 5.9 assists and darn near went .500 in the games he played (16-19).

Then, he was benched so that Oklahoma City could go 3-26 the rest of the way. Shai Gilegous-Alexander should garner MVP consideration based on that stat alone. 16-19 with him and 3-26 without him. Crazy! Hopefully he plays for a winner soon, because the kid is wildly talented.

7. Bam Adebayo | Miami Heat

Miami was ravaged by COVID and injuries for much of last season, but Bam helped keep them afloat as a steady defensive anchor that improved his offensive creation following his 2020 breakout. On a really thin Heat frontline, Adebayo will need to be an even heavier anchor as he adds dimensions to his scoring profile. Preferably improved ability to knock down jumpers.

8. Jamal Murray | Denver Nuggets

Murray tore his ACL last April, in the midst of the best regular-season basketball he’s played. And everyone remembers what a phenom he was in last fall’s Conference Finals run for Denver. Given the unfortunate late-season timing of the injury, he’ll certainly be out until January and perhaps a month or two after that. However, if Murray can get back on the court and play his way back his pre-injured self by playoff time, the Nuggets could threaten for the West again.

Tier 3: Working Class

9. Tyler Herro | Miami Heat

The conversation around Herro is that 2021 was a massive step back and a sophomore slump. By all means, he didn’t improve quite like his spectacular playoffs performance suggested he would. But he still improved. Herro averaged more points (15.1), rebounds (5.0) and assists (3.4) than his rookie campaign while shooting a hair less efficiently. Also, as mentioned with Bam, the Heat were one of the worst COVID culprits in the NBA. Expect a necessary step up from Herro as he serves as the young Bucket this ancient Heat rotation needs.

10. John Wall | Houston Rockets

Wall is a tricky player to rank among the former ‘Cats. He secretly put up decent raw numbers in ’21, notching 20 points and nearly 7 assists per game. He also endured a two-month stretch with zero games shooting above 50% from the floor and hasn’t played meaningful basketball since the end of 2018. Houston is working to trade him and ideally, he can land in a better situation with a team trying to win. But his $41 million cap hit makes that scenario more hopeful than realistic.

11. Nerlens Noel | New York Knicks

Few bigger Nerlens Noel fans exist in this world aside from me and Thom Thibodeau. As one of several Kentucky alums that helped re-route the Knicks’ trajectory, Noel was a top-five defensive player in the NBA once he took over as a full-time starter. Just look at his personal stats from the ’21 season:

Third in the NBA in total blocks (141) and blocks per game (2.2). Second in block percent (8.7%). Third in Defensive Win Shares (3.6), second in Defensive Rating (101.2), and led the NBA in Defensive Box Plus/Minus (3.5).

Might see a slightly diminished role with the return of Mitchell Robinson, but there’s a reason New York inked him for three more years and 27 million bucks.

12. Keldon Johnson | San Antonio Spurs

“Olympic Gold Medalist” is not a title anyone ever envisioned for Keldon Johnson. Nonetheless, he joined about a dozen other Wildcats to earn a medal in August’s Olympics, even if he was just a benchwarmer. Johnson will be the opposite for San Antonio, though. On a roster devoid of stars, he figures to parlay his promising ’21 season and summer into a major role on the rebuilding Spurs. Should be even more of a breakout year for the bowling ball-style wing.

13. PJ Washington | Charlotte Hornets

Hopefully, 2022 will focus more on Washington’s headlines in the NBA rather than TMZ. Because he’s an encouraging piece of versatility on an ahead-of-schedule Hornets team. Washington is only two years into his career, but he’s already defined by his consistency. He hits threes, defends, plays physical, and can mesh with any combination of players as a forward or small-ball five.

14. Immanuel Quickley | New York Knicks

IQ captured the hearts of Knicks fans and the trust of Thom Thibodeau — equally tough objectives for a rookie. Why? Because he shot the skin off the ball from three at 39% on over four attempts per game and played sticky defense. His playing time was inconsistent from game to game as was his shotmaking, plus he’ll be competing with offseason additions Kemba Walker and Evan Fournier for minutes. Still, if the shooting and defense remain steady, Quickley will see his role increase in year two.

15. Eric Bledsoe | Los Angeles Clippers

Bledsoe was Milwaukee’s premier scapegoat for failed postseason runs in ’19 and ’20. More specifically, his offense and three-point shot (or lack thereof). Then, he was dealt as part of a trade for Jrue Holiday and the Bucks proceeded to win the title in his immediate absence. So he got DeRozan-ed.

BUT, Bledsoe is still a pesky on-ball defender that can drive and dish on offense. He also made over 39% of his threes thru the end of January before regressing to his career average by the end of the year (~34%). His move to the Clippers should put him back in more of a defensive/ball-handling role that could revitalize his NBA career.

16. Malik Monk | Los Angeles Lakers

Monk finished with by far his best season as a pro in ’21, and he needed to in order to earn a second contract. His one-year minimum deal is eyebrow-raising considering his leap in consistency and efficiency as a three-point shooter last season, but he has a heck of an opportunity in front of him. Next to the Lakers’ Big Three, Monk will take and likely make a million wide-open threes. He’s another solid shooting season and a LeBron seal-of-approval away from a much bigger multi-year contract next offseason.

17. Rajon Rondo | Los Angeles Lakers

The last 14 months were the tale of two Rondos. The Rondo of last fall served as arguably LA’s third-best player during their championship quest. And the Rondo that arrived in Atlanta a few months later never seemed interested in fetching towels as Trae Young’s backup. Nor was he impactful on the other side of the Staples Center when traded to the Clippers.

The two-time champ is back with the Purple and Gold, but he’s getting old. The real question is how accepting Rondo will be watching Malik Monk and Kendrick Nunn take his minutes.

18. Tyrese Maxey | Philadelphia 76ers

Like most rookies playing for contenders, Maxey’s role was fairly limited. He played less than 20 minutes in 42 of his 71 regular-season games and wasn’t utilized much in Philly’s most meaningful contests. However, in the 19 games in which he eclipsed the 20-minute mark, he averaged 14.7 points and posted a better plus-minus than the games where he played less. So, when given the proper opportunity, Maxey thrived. With the shenanigans surrounding Ben Simmons, the opportunity could be there for him to break into the rotation early on.

Tier 4: Fringe Contributors

19. Jarred Vanderbilt | Minnesota Timberwolves

Finally, someone believes in J-Vando’s potential as much as I do. Minnesota invested three years and $13 million in a guy that averaged 5.4 points in 2021. An eight-figure deal has me believing that the T-Wolves see some real potential in Vanderbilt’s rebounding chops and defensive versatility. He has every physical tool imaginable and projects as a long-term do-everything guy if he figures out the skill aspect of the game.

20. Enes Kanter | Boston Celtics

He returned to Portland last season after a stint there in 2019, and now he returns to Boston after spending 2020 with the C’s. The story remains the same with Kanter. Nasty post scorer and rebounder with cement feet on defense. The NBA is increasingly moving away from that brand of player, unfortunately.

21. Hamidou Diallo | Detroit Pistons

Hami was Oklahoma City’s second-leading scorer when he and a second-round pick were traded in bizarre fashion for an older and worse player in the middle of the ’21 season. In hindsight, he was freed from the NBA’s depressive basement-dweller that is OKC and shipped off to a team with some young pieces and direction. His defense and abundant athleticism should win him minutes in the Pistons culture.

22. Isaiah Jackson | Indiana Pacers

Kentucky’s highest-drafted rookie hasn’t done much other than block shots and dunk in the preseason, but that may be enough to earn him minutes for a shallow bench unit in Indiana. His pogo-stick athleticism will keep him on the court while he smooths out the edges to his game, which may take more than a year or two.

23. Willie Cauley-Stein | Dallas Mavericks

Willie’s last two seasons in Dallas were spent as Luka Doncic’s occasional garbage man. He cleans up whatever possessions Luka doesn’t want to finish in their pick-and-roll sets and provides lanky defense for 15 minutes a game. His role won’t change, but his playing time might if Dallas’s bigs stay healthier and young newcomer Moses Brown proves to be a taller version of everything WCS provides.

Tier 5: Waterboys

24. Mychal Mulder | Free Agent

Mulder is in limbo after being waived by Golden State a few days ago. But he deserves a spot in the NBA since he can hang athletically and shoots the three above league average. Very likely that GSW brings him back on a two-way deal if he clears waivers, but also possible another team takes a flier on the knockdown catch-and-shoot threat. Surely he’ll make a roster.

25. Trey Lyles | Detroit Pistons

Well, the mystery of Where Is Trey Lyles has finally been solved, as the seventh-year forward landed in Detroit this summer. He missed the entire second half of last season after his agency — the sketchy folks over at Klutch — urged the Spurs to trade him but ultimately failed, winding up in Lyles being benched under the excuse of an ankle injury that somehow lasted three months. Strange stuff. But he’s in a new location now and is likely facing his final shot at staying in the league.

26. Kevin Knox | New York Knicks

It is I, the sole human being believing in a productive Kevin Knox. Look, he’s 6-foot-8 and made 39.3% of his threes in ’21. The foundation is there for Knox, he just has to use his god-given athletic ability in other phases of the game to compliment his solid stroke from deep.

27. Patrick Patterson | Free Agent

P-Patt is cooked physically. No disrespect to the man but he can no longer play the game of basketball at a high level in the NBA. The Blazers waived him the other day and now he searches for a new home.

28. Nick Richards | Charlotte Hornets

It’s the battle everyone is talking and tweeting about: who will be Charlotte’s backup center? Kai Jones, Vernon Carey or Nick Richards? Frankly, PJ Washington probably plays more minutes at the five than any of these guys, but he isn’t a true big, per se. Jones was the 19th pick in the draft and while more promising, he was even rawer than Richards in college. And Vernon Carey is like Jahlil Okafor but worse at everything, so Nick should have his shot at some playing time.

29. Brandon Boston Jr. | Los Angeles Clippers

Well, we’ve arrived at the bottom of the barrel. None other than BJ Boston occupies the last spot, and everybody saw that coming. In seriousness, he was a late second-rounder that will be lucky to see any NBA action as a rookie. Perhaps a year of development in the minors wouldn’t be so bad for a player that needs to grow physically and mentally before he’s ready for a shot at the big leagues. Hope for nothing but success for BJ. He has the talent to make something of himself as a pro someday.