Kentucky going all-in on 2 point guard system

Kentucky needed a point guard in the worst way possible a season ago. For the first time in John Calipari’s career as the Wildcats head coach, he was without a lead ball-handler; without a future NBA draft pick who could control the tempo and simply get his squad into offensive sets.

The point guard position had become a staple of Calipari’s ability to develop elite-level talent, but that was not the case a year ago.

From the first few games of the 2020-21 season, it became obvious that Kentucky was not going to have that caliber of player. The result was the 9-16 record that has been beaten to death as a conversation topic.

Heading into 2021-22, however, Calipari made damn sure he wouldn’t start a season without a reliable lead guard. He went out and got not one, but two point guards who could both start at any Power 5 program in the country, and they both play different styles.

Freshman TyTy Washington is a 6-foot-3 scoring machine with vastly underrated playmaking skills. Junior Sahvir Wheeler is one of the best passers in all of college basketball. He’s incredible once he gets two feet into the paint, despite being listed at just 5-foot-9.

During Kentucky’s first of two exhibition games this season, both point guards showed flashes of greatness. UK handily beat Kentucky Wesleyan College 95-72 last Friday night.

Washington finished tied for the team-high in points with 18 on 7-9 shooting and a perfect 3-3 from distance. He also led the ‘Cats in minutes played at 25. As for Wheeler, the Georgia transfer was in for 23 minutes, posting 10 points, six assists, three steals, and just one turnover (which happened within the first couple of minutes).

By all accounts, both players looked impressive, and a clear step up from last season’s point guard production. But most importantly, they’ve shown early on that they can play alongside each other despite both needing the ball to be at their best.

Calipari has played multi-guard lineups in the past and has said he intends to continue doing that moving forward. This year is going to be no different: Kentucky will run a two point guard system.

“We’ve just been playing two point guards,” Kentucky assistant coach Jai Lucas said on Thursday. “Whoever gets the ball is the point guard. If one of them is out of the game, most of the time (the other one will) be the primary guard, but we just see it as an advantage. Good college teams, most of them that have won championships in the past couple of years have played more than one point guard at a time.”

Going back just a couple of years ago to 2019-20, Kentucky rolled out a lineup that included three players who could all play point guard; Ashton Hagans, Immanuel Quickley, and Tyrese Maxey. Had it not been for the COVID-19 pandemic, which ultimately canceled the 2020 NCAA Tournament, it was reasonable to believe Kentucky would have made a deep run.

Washington and Wheeler co-exisiting

What makes Washington and Wheeler so enticing is how they balance each other out. A lot of their skills overlap, but most of them do not–and that’s a good thing.

“You got two guys who can create shots for others,” Lucas added. “You have TyTy who has the ability to score a little bit better than Sahvir does because of the size and the different skill set. It just gives us options.”

Washington and Wheeler are two great options, and major upgrades from last season. But they aren’t even the only two. Kentucky has a wealth of choices in that regard.

We haven’t even talked about sixth-year guard Davion Mintz, who was effectively Kentucky’s point guard most of last season. While his role will look different this year, it’s a spot he can play in a pinch. Then there’s Davidson transfer Kellan Grady, who played extended spurts of point guard during his four seasons with that program.

Having all of these veterans around is only going to help a young player like Washington, too. The 18-year old is deserving of the early praise (and NIL deals) he’s received, but that being said, he’s only played one exhibition game in a Wildcat uniform. Experiencing the weight of a 30-plus-game season is going to be a major transition for him, even as a five-star recruit.

“I think the thing with TyTy that will be different from Sahvir as we play games, is just the grind of the season,” Lucas said. “That’s something that Sahvir understands–Tuesday, Saturday, multiple scouting reports, multiple game plans, carry over. You get in December and you play 10 games, your body is worn out. Things like that will be the thing that I think really jump out to TyTy. Not so much the basketball aspect of it because he has a good IQ, good feel and stuff like that. I think it’ll be the grind of the season and that difference that will really get to him.”

Even if the grind of the season does impact Washington, he’ll have the supporting cast to help lift him up or mask any minor issues. If he’s having an off night, Wheeler can step in, and vice versa.

Last season, Kentucky struggled to get the ball inside of its own three-point arc. This time around, the ‘Cats will live through drive and kicks.