Three Improvements to Watch for Against Kentucky State

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three-improvements-watch-against-kentucky-state — Photo by UK Athletics

Reactions are often the function of expectations. How you expect an event to go will usually shape how you ultimately think it went. That would certainly be true for Kentucky’s first exhibition matchup against Georgetown College.

If you thought the preseason #5 team in NAIA fresh off a Final Four appearance and returning eight of 10 rotation players would punch the young ‘Cats in the mouth, you weren’t shocked at the halftime score. However, if you expected a typical exhibition blowout you likely were smashing the panic button. Either way, the contest survived its purpose. Coach Calipari and company had film to watch of the ‘Cats playing somebody else. Thursday’s second and final exhibition against Kentucky State will feature another such opportunity.

There are several reasons you play exhibition games prior to the start of the regular season. First of all, it allows you to get into game shape and work out some nerves. Secondly, it serves as a dress rehearsal for all game day routines. Additionally, it is an opportunity to plan for an opponent and then be held accountable for executing the given plan. For a young team like Kentucky, that final point is likely the most valuable.

Georgetown College, due to its roster continuity, provided an opportunity for a very detailed, accurate scouting report. However, the Kentucky State Thorobreds are the exact opposite side of that coin. Only three players return from last season’s 15-13 team including just one primary rotation player. There are a total of nine new faces on this roster.

Due to a lack of information readily available on Kentucky State, we will not have a full scouting report for this contest. That is not uncommon for exhibition opponents. Typically, you would do very little preparation for your first opponent and then treat your second opponent as a full dress rehearsal. However, due to the circumstances, that procedure was flipped for the Wildcats this year. Thursday’s exhibition will be all about making some improvements from last Friday. Let’s dive into some of those and highlight what the ‘Cats would like to see against Kentucky State later tonight.

Steps Forward Defensively

In Coach Calipari’s first 10 seasons at Kentucky, the Wildcats finished outside the top 25 of KenPom’s adjusted defensive efficiency just three times. Two of those three were still top 40 defenses paired with very good offenses. In the last four years, the ‘Cats have finished 52nd, 35th, 36th, and 68th defensively. Entering the 2023-2024 season expectations aren’t necessarily high on the defensive end of the floor in Lexington. Especially with three seven-footers currently out, Kentucky will once again not be elite defensively. However, that won’t stop the coaching staff from harping on improvements on that end of the floor. Here are some clips from last Friday’s exhibition against Georgetown.

Sometimes film study is about getting into the weeds a little bit. Having some personnel-specific scouting notes allows you to learn from small mistakes like this. For a Kentucky team that will really struggle on the defensive glass, they won’t be able to afford getting out of position like they did in this clip. Poor defensive execution leads to an easy offensive rebound putback for Georgetown. #5 Thomas is a left-handed driver. There is no reason for Reed Sheppard to help when he is driving it right. However, Sheppard over-helps, is out of position, and allows the baseline drive. That forces Jordan Burks to step up and stop the ball. In a perfect world, Adou Thiero would crack down on the block, but it all starts with Sheppard’s over help.

There are ways to be an effective defensive team without being perfect in terms of execution. Kentucky has flashed some aggressiveness and ability to create turnovers in the action we have seen so far. The Wildcats are very switchable and have guys with length that can be disruptive both on the ball and in the passing lanes. Creating turnovers like Adou Thiero does in the above clip will be a crucial part of the ‘Cats being passable on the defensive end of the floor. That is especially true until any or all of the seven-footers return to provide rim protection.

This is what we want to get out of Antonio Reeves defensively. He doesn’t need to be a great defender, he just can’t be a complete liability. On this possession, he does a good job of fighting over the ballscreen and getting his hands up to steal the pass to the screener popping. If he will consistently play hard defensively it’ll go a long way to not get exposed.

Before the possession where he got blown by in a straight line, Reeves actually put together a couple of really encouraging defensive plays. This is just straight-up effort that leads to Georgetown getting called for an illegal screen. He is in a stance, cuts off the right-hand drive, and then sprints to get over the ballscreen at the top of the key. Reeves’ aggressiveness at the top of the screen forced the screener to stick his hip and elbow out.

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Bounce Back for DJ Wagner

In a loaded Kentucky freshman class, DJ Wagner enters as the most heralded. Big Blue Nation has known him for a long time thanks to Coach Calipari’s connection to his dad, Dajuan Wagner. Recently, On3’s Jamie Shaw labeled Wagner as the most impactful freshman in the Southeastern Conference. He was excellent on UK’s trip to Canada and went off for 25 points, seven rebounds, and six assists in the Blue-White game. However, he struggled in the first exhibition game. Wagner was just 2-9 from the field and struggled at times defensively. Thursday night’s matchup against Kentucky State will offer a valuable bounce-back opportunity prior to the first real game on November 6th.

There aren’t many freshmen who come into college basketball and are high-level defenders. It is such a learning curve and the opposition, night in and night out, is so much better than high school. DJ Wagner is like most young defenders in that his feet are over-active on the perimeter. He is trying to play hard, move his feet, and cut off the drive, but instead, he ends up giving up an easy straight-line drive. You don’t want to take away his aggressiveness, but Wagner must learn to stay in his stance and not get smoked off of the dribble.

Layups and rhythm three-point shots are what you are looking for in transition. Contested, running right-handed shots on the left-hand side out of the paint are not good shots ever, but certainly not in the first five seconds of the shot clock. Again, you don’t want to immediately take away his aggressiveness, but shots like this are how you go 2-9. Kentucky will need Wagner to find more good shots against Kentucky State.

These are the shots DJ Wagner needs to find against Kentucky State and going into the regular season. Quick, straight-line drives to the rim are what led to Wagner’s success at the GLOBL JAM and the Blue-White game. His athleticism and strength allow him to be a great finisher when he gets to the rim. Getting all the way to the paint will be the key to his bounce-back performance.

Justin Edwards Finding His Footing

By no means should we be worried about highly talented freshmen after one exhibition game. It would be silly to overreact to one less-than-stellar performance. However, there are still some legitimate teaching points to be made through film study. Justin Edwards has some real strengths on the basketball floor. He can be a real threat in transition and should be an excellent positional rebounder. The 6’8″ wing flashed both of those talents last Friday. But he also went 3-10 from the field and had a couple of bad turnovers due to loose ball handling. Playing to his strengths against Kentucky State will provide a launching point into the regular season.

A straight-line drive compared to having to change direction is the key for Justin Edwards. That is the only real difference between these two above clips. When Edwards can use his size, strength, and athleticism to get downhill to the rim there is almost no stopping him. However, his handle is still pretty raw, especially with his right hand, making it difficult for him to change directions at times.

You can see some growth from Justin Edwards just within this one clip. Offensive rebounding should be a real strength of his this season. We saw that in the first exhibition as five of his eight rebounds came on the offensive end. His size and strength make it very hard for opponents to match up with him. After the first rebound, Edwards gets into a right shoulder post move but has his feet too close together and is fading away ever so slightly. However, after a physical second rebound, he goes right at the rim which helps to draw the foul. Great effort by the star freshman.