DJ Wagner not worried about his touches: "We all like to share the ball"

When a team has so many talented guards on the roster at the same time, a common question is frequently asked in some form: “Will there be enough touches for everyone?” More often than not, that issue becomes a moot point once the season progresses — good basketball players know how to play off and with one another, especially at this level.

Kentucky men’s basketball head coach John Calipari has dealt with this kind of circumstance many times during his tenure in Lexington. It’s a yearly occurrence at this point, particularly when so many new faces are brought in with every passing offseason. The 2023-24 version of the Wildcats will face a similar question. This season’s backcourt is loaded with high-level scorers and talented ball-handlers.

In particular, five-star freshman DJ Wagner and four-star freshman Rob Dillingham are alike in the way that they both need the ball in their hands to be at their most effective. Both prospects have been considered “combo guards” throughout points of their high school careers — guys who split time playing on and off the ball. So far, they’ve meshed well.

“He’s (Dillingham) a great player, we definitely play off each other well,” Wagner told reporters on Wednesday.

But one of those two is going to handle the primary point guard responsibilities. It could even be a game-by-game decision. Wagner is listed at 6-foot-3 and Dillingham at 6-foot-2. Neither is definitively thought to be more of a point guard or shooting guard than the other. Some sacrifices will likely have to be made in order for everyone to stay connected and happy.

While practice has only been underway for a couple of weeks now, that doesn’t appear to be something the players themselves are concerned with.

“I don’t feel no type of way toward it. We all just love to win and we all love to play basketball so I feel like we all want to do what we need to do win,” Wagner said about the idea that there aren’t enough touches to go around. “We all like to share the ball, like each other’s games, and like to play as a team. We all want to see each other happy and being successful. So it ain’t really no one ball, one person want to shoot all the shots, not like that. That’s not what it is.”

Wagner isn’t all that worried about his exact position on the court either. He knows he’s going to get his touches regardless of how the lineup shakes out. When Kentucky hits the hardwood next week for the GLOBL JAM in Canada, his main concern will be doing whatever it takes to win those games, no matter where he’s standing on the floor.

“Whatever coach, whatever my team needs me to do, that’s what position I’m gonna play,” Wagner said. “I feel like that’s how it is for all of us. It ain’t really a specific position that anybody is gonna play. We’re all gonna just try to play different roles to the best of our abilities.”

Calipari has been presented with the “issue” of having too many talented guards on one team before. A recent example of this came back during the 2019-20 season when Ashton Hagans, Tyrese Maxey, and Immanuel Quickley all split backcourt duties together. At times, all three would be on the court at the same time, too.

Kentucky could roll out something similar in ’22-23 with Wagner, Dillingham, and veteran guard Antonio Reeves all expected to soak up the guard minutes. Adou Thiero and Justin Edwards will also be capable of bringing up the ball and running the offense. Other freshmen such as Reed Sheppard, Jordan Burks, and Joey Hart will all fight for touches, too.

Which is why these exhibition games in Canada could be so valuable to this young squad. They all need more opportunities to learn how to play with each other — even the older guys. Sharing the ball is always easier said than done, though.

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