John Calipari and the "tweak" that helped Justin Edwards break out against Vanderbilt

It took longer than expected, but Justin Edwards finally had his breakout performance.

The freshman wing posted a career-high 17 points on 5-10 shooting in just 20 minutes during Kentucky’s 32-point drumming of the Vanderbilt Commodores. He also dished out three assists, recorded two steals, and went a perfect 6-6 from the free throw line, but the highlight of his big night was a fastbreak windmill dunk that had all of Memorial Gymnasium (filled with mostly Kentucky fans) ready to blow the roof off the building.

“I’m so proud of Justin,” Head coach John Calipari said after the win.

You could feel it coming for Edwards. After weeks of struggles — he averaged just four points and 2.3 rebounds in 17 minutes per game during his first seven SEC outings — the former five-star recruit put together a quality game against Tennessee over the weekend. Kentucky ultimately lost, but seven points and four rebounds in 18 minutes was at least a step in the right direction for Edwards.

He then let out a season’s worth of frustration on the Commodores. Edwards was asserting himself on offense by driving to the rim, getting himself running in transition, and even confidently knocking down a three-pointer. He did most of his damage in the second half, scoring 14 of his points after the intermission.

“It felt good, yeah,” Edwards said after the win. “My teammates believed in me, my coaches believed in me.”

“I knew it was coming eventually,” Kentucky guard Antonio Reeves said of his teammate’s big game.

OH MY @Jedwards3_ pic.twitter.com/ZDPB4v2XWP

— Kentucky Men’s Basketball (@KentuckyMBB) February 7, 2024

Is this the start of more good things to come on the hardwood for Edwards? Only time will, but back-to-back positive outings are, at the very least, a good starting point. Calipari hinted afterward that he’s altering how Edwards plays in hopes of giving him an extra push. It worked on Tuesday night.

“We’re trying to get Justin to play a little bit different and it’s helping him, but… ‘You don’t understand my game.’ No, I do. That’s why I’m getting you — just do it this way. He is a difference-maker.”

When asked what he’s doing differently with Edwards, Calipari wouldn’t spoil the surprise. But he did mention the magic word that Kentucky fans have come to know all too well during his tenure as head coach.

“We’ll call it a tweak. How about that?” Calipari said. “It’s a tweak… I just tweaked a little bit.”

Calipari didn’t expand any further on what that “tweak” is, but Edwards provided some insight during his postgame interview about what it might be.

“He wants me to create for others. The second half I came out looking to pass and everybody else got me shots,” Edwards said. “Instead of trying to score all the time first, just looking to pass. He says that everybody on our team can play, so just me creating shots for my teammates will get me open shots.”

That advice adds up in at least one key stat: assists. Edwards had three of them against Vanderbilt, the most he’s dished out in a single game this season. Now, looking ahead, it’s all about consistency. We saw what Edwards can do against the likes of Vanderbilt. It’s time to do the same against Gonzaga on Saturday.

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