"They're an elite, elite transition team." Kentucky's unselfishness leading to easy points

John Calipari has attached himself to a handful of buzzwords already this season. Taking a “random” approach to the game and having “basketball players” all over the floor are just a couple of the sayings the head coach has echoed time and time again throughout the preseason and already into the season-opener.

When you smash those two together, it spits out a dangerously fun offensive system, one that isn’t reliant on set plays or too much structure, particularly when it comes to running in transition. Everyone on the floor can do a little bit of everything. It also means that Kentucky can push the pace at all times. In the 86-46 season-opening win over New Mexico State, that was on full display.

“They’re an elite transition offensive team,” New Mexico State head coach Jason Hooten said postgame. “I told our guys that I thought if we could just make them play in the halfcourt, we would have a chance to be right where we needed to be. I still believe that. We were right there and where we needed to be in what we wanted to give them in the halfcourt.”

Unfortunately for Coach Hooten and the Aggies, Kentucky forced 18 turnovers and turned those into 24 points. 25 of the Wildcats’ 86 total points were credited off a fastbreak. The moment New Mexico State missed a shot or coughed up a turnover, Kentucky went straight into attack mode. It didn’t matter who had the ball either — they can all lead the break. They’re too quick and tough to stay in front of all game long.

“I think the hardest thing guarding them right now is they’re so — I keep saying it, but they’re so elite in transition. And even if you have an experienced team… It’s hard to simulate the fast and the quickness of the transition,” Hooten added. “What makes it really hard to guard is a different guy can bring the ball up the floor… You got so many guys that are bringing it up and pitching it ahead and it’s hard to guard. We started the game, we sent three guys back tonight and we still didn’t stop them. They’re an elite, elite transition team.“

D.J. Wagner turning defense into an and-☝️. pic.twitter.com/fr6cbhID1Q

— Kentucky Men’s Basketball (@KentuckyMBB) November 7, 2023

This wouldn’t be so unusual if Kentucky weren’t so young. Four freshmen played at least 20 minutes against New Mexico State. Two of them — Reed Sheppard and Rob Dillingham — combined for five assists and zero turnovers. Another, DJ Wagner, turned the ball over just once while finishing with four dimes. All three also scored in double-figures, led by Dillingham’s 17 points. The ball doesn’t stick for too long when any of them are running in transition. That’s the point Calipari is drilling into their heads.

“We can play that way but you have got to really run and — are you ready? — you have got to throw it to them when they run,” Calipari said postgame. “If you don’t throw it to them, they won’t run. They will stop running.”

“When we gel together and we learn — we’re just so unselfish and we play together, we don’t care who score, we’re just happy for everyone,” Dillingham said. “When we play like that, I feel like it’s hard to beat us.”

There is a method to the madness, but not too much. Unselfishness is a part of it. Sprinting in transition can be about as random as it gets, so getting others involved helps make that randomness a positive. It makes for some pretty exciting basketball, too.

“Most of it is pretty random,” Sheppard said of Kentucky’s fastbreaks. “Like (Calipari has) said plenty of times, we’re a bunch of basketball players. We can all dribble, pass, and shoot. Being able to play in transition like that, whether it’s throw it up for a dunk, throw it up for a layup, or throw it up just to get rid of it, make a cut, something good is gonna happen most of the time. And right now it’s a really fun way to play.”