On3's Joe Tipton predicts Kentucky Basketball's starting lineup

There are 67 days until Kentucky Basketball’s season-opener vs. Duke. Which five Wildcats will get the starting nod? On3 Sports basketball recruiting guru Joe Tipton, aka “Tipton Edits,” has seen several of Kentucky’s former five-star prospects in action; however, in his projected starting lineup for the Cats, he went with experience over youth.

• PG: Sahvir Wheeler
• G: Davion Mintz
• G: Kellan Grady
• F: Keion Brooks
• F: Oscar Tshiebwe

No TyTy Washington? Tipton explains that he expects the five-star freshman guard to crack the lineup at some point in the season, but believes John Calipari will go with Georgia transfer Sahvir Wheeler to tip things off.

Before you disagree, let me explain. Most Kentucky fans reading this are probably thinking – TyTy Washington isn’t starting? Well, it is quite possible he does at some point during the year, but I would expect Sahvir Wheeler to start off playing point guard at the start of the season. Why, you ask? Experience, mainly. Don’t get me wrong, TyTy Washington is a great player. It’s just that Wheeler already has two years of college experience playing in the SEC. Not to mention his play-making ability; he averaged nearly seven and a half assists per game last season, more than double anyone else on Kentucky’s roster last season.

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Tipton adds that Davion Mintz and Kellan Grady are “must-starts.” From there, it gets a little less certain, but he believes Keion Brooks and Oscar Tshiebwe will get the nod, with Daimion Collins possibly cracking the starting five later in the season.

ESPN’s Projected Kentucky Basketball Starting Lineup

Earlier this week, ESPN’s Jeff Borzello updated his preseason Top 25. Kentucky dropped one spot in the rankings, from No. 8 to No. 9, to make way for Memphis, which jumped to No. 7. Borzello’s starting lineup is slightly different than Tipton’s in that he omits Davion Mintz for TyTy Washington.

• Sahvir Wheeler (14.0 PPG, 7.4 assists per game at Georgia)
• TyTy Washington (No. 12 in ESPN 100)
• Kellan Grady (17.1 PPG at Davidson)
• Keion Brooks Jr. (10.3 PPG, 6.8 RPG)
• Oscar Tshiebwe (8.5 PPG, 7.8 RPG at West Virginia)

Here is Borzello’s reasoning:

On paper, the five I’ve listed below as Kentucky’s projected starting lineup would seem to make the most sense, with one potential issue: shooting. Sahvir Wheeler led the SEC in assists and was one of the best playmakers in the league, but he made 22.8% of his 3s last season. TyTy Washington has 6-foot-4 size and was a five-star recruit, but in five games at the Geico Nationals and the NIBC Invitational last season, he shot 25.7% from 3. Keion Brooks Jr. brings versatility and experience, but he has made 11 3-pointers in 47 career games. Davidson transfer Kellan Grady is a terrific shooter, but it wouldn’t surprise me if John Calipari went with Iowa transfer CJ Fredrick or senior Davion Mintz for long stretches alongside Grady on the wings. Fredrick was one of the best shooters in college basketball over the past two seasons, making 47% of his 3s. Mintz made the most 3s on the Wildcats last season, and he is a career 36% 3-point shooter. It might be difficult to bench Wheeler or Washington, but the offense could flow better with two shooters.

ESPN

Thankfully, John Calipari has plenty of time to figure it out. Until he does, feel free to share your predictions in the comments.