What Sahvir Wheeler's commitment means for Kentucky

Georgia point guard transfer Sahvir Wheeler is a Wildcat, committing to the Kentucky basketball program today over Kansas, LSU and Oklahoma State, among numerous other offers.

Wheeler, a second-team All-SEC honoree last year, heads to Lexington as the conference leader in assists (7.4 per contest) and assist-to-turnover ratio (1.68) in 2020-21. On the year, the newest Wildcat averaged 14.0 points, 3.8 rebounds and 1.7 steals per game as a sophomore, with his point, assist and steal averages all leading the team.

Now headed to Lexington, what does Wheeler’s commitment mean for Kentucky both at the point guard position and the roster as a whole?

Kentucky adds arguably the best playmaker in college basketball

Wheeler finished the 2020-21 season as the SEC leader in assists at 7.4 per contest and assist-to-turnover ratio at 1.68, along with boasting an absurd assist rate of 38.5% in 34.8 minutes per contest. His 7.4 assists per contest ranks fifth in college basketball and first among Power Five programs.

Make no mistake about it, Wheeler can pass the rock, his most intriguing and impressive attribute.

The newest Wildcat broke Georgia’s single-season record with 193 assists to top the previous mark of 169 set by Pertha Robinson in 1995. He also notched three of the top-six single game assist tallies in school history, co-No. 3s (13 assists vs. LSU and vs. Missouri in the SEC Tournament) and No. 6 overall (12 against Florida A&M). He became just the fourth player in the 2000s to lead the SEC in assists and assist-to-turnover ratio, while his eight point-assist double-doubles were the most by any SEC player in a single season in the 2000s.

Among records broken this season, Wheeler recorded the first triple-double in Georgia history against LSU in Athens, finishing with 14 points, 13 assists and 11 rebounds in the victory. He also broke UGA’s single-season assist record during the South Carolina game in Athens, the 24th game of the season.

Looking at UK’s all-time numbers, the 5-foot-10 guard’s 322 career assists in two years at Georgia would rank No. 13 in Kentucky basketball history, ahead of the likes of Larry Johnson (319, four years), Keith Bogans (314, four years), Andrew Harrison (298, two years) and Rajon Rondo (285, two years), among others. The newest Wildcat’s 193 assists in 2020-21 would tie Travis Ford and Anthony Epps on the single-season assist list, behind only Tyler Ulis (246), John Wall (241) and Roger Harden (232).

After a year of ball movement issues at the point guard position, John Calipari went out of his way to sign the best passer and playmaker on the transfer market.

Yes, there are shooting and turnover concerns…

The assist numbers are great, and on the surface, his 14.0 points, 7.4 assists, 3.8 rebounds and 1.7 steals per contest is a phenomenal stat line. There’s a reason the SEC league coaches named him a second-team all-conference member; Wheeler can play.

But yes, there are concerns with his game. And they should be addressed.

For starters, he averages 4.4 turnovers per game and shoots just 39.9% from the field and 22.5% from three. He puts up 14.0 points per contest, but does so on 13 shot attempts per game. With a usage rate of 25.2% in 2020-21, Wheeler took 91 more shots than anyone else on the roster, but finished ninth on the team in terms of total field goal percentage. His 115 total turnovers (25.0% turnover rate) was tied for second-most in all of college basketball, behind only Marvin Johnson of Eastern Illinois (116 total, 4.5 per game).

Looking at his advanced shooting numbers, Wheeler shot 54.0% at the rim (95-176), 24.1% on mid-range jumpers (19-79) and 22.5% from three (18-80). He finished the 2020-21 season with a true shooting percentage of 46.5%, an effective field goal percentage of 42.3% and an offensive rating of 93.1, all below-average numbers at the collegiate level.

Wheeler was surrounded by – for lack of a better word – mediocre talent at Georgia and the 5-foot-10 guard felt the need to take games over and force the issue in an attempt to win, and his efficiency and turnover numbers suffered as a result. It comes with the territory of having the ball in your hands the majority of the game and constantly looking to make plays for teammates, but the point remains; it’s not just sunshine and rainbows here.

… but UK’s complementary pieces will help minimize those issues

The 5-foot-10 guard joins a roster that includes CJ Fredrick, Dontaie Allen and Kellan Grady in the backcourt, who shot 47.4%, 40%, and 38.2% from three at the collegiate level this past season, respectively, on a combined 13.2 attempts from deep per contest. UK already has one of the most lethal shooting trios in college basketball.

Kentucky also signed 2021 five-star guard TyTy Washington last week, with the Phoenix, AZ native also considered a knockdown shooter with deep range and consistency — he shot 48% overall, 41% from three and 88% from the free throw line as a senior. Davion Mintz, Kentucky’s “dagger thrower” from last season, is also considering a return to Lexington for a sixth and final season of college basketball. He shot 37.8% from three, including several late-game clutch buckets throughout conference play.

With elite shooters lining the perimeter and coming off the bench, Kentucky needed a distributor and initiator to put the ball in their hands. The Wildcats needed someone who can beat you off the dribble and finish at the basket, drawing the attention away from the perimeter threats for catch-and-shoot opportunities. If there was ever a roster that could live with subpar shooting at the point guard spot, it’s one like Kentucky’s that is absolutely loaded with shooters.

And let’s also not forget that Wheeler shot 47.2% overall and 32% from three, along with turning the ball over 2.9 times per contest in a lesser role (27.3 minutes per game, 19.7% usage rate) as a freshman in 2019-20, as well. Not world-beating numbers, but certainly an improvement on his shooting and turnover marks from his sophomore campaign. Playing alongside better overall talent and shooters at Kentucky where he won’t feel the need to do it all by himself, there’s no reason to think he can’t hit or even surpass those marks in Lexington next season.

Make no mistake, Wheeler’s shooting efficiency will need to improve and his turnover numbers will need to drop this season, but the pieces are in place around him to help make that happen.

Winning is a priority

Shortly after entering his name in the transfer portal, Wheeler told KSR that should he decide to pull his name out of the NBA Draft, his ultimate goal next season is to compete for a national title.

“I’m going to prove (myself) some more on a bigger stage and on a higher level. Hopefully that can catapult me to the next level, get in the NBA conversation,” Wheeler told KSR. “… Big stage, being able to contend for a national championship, Final Four, playing style, playing fit, all those things are factors I’ll consider when making my decision.”

He added that he was focused on playing winning basketball and making the right plays as opposed to padding stats on a lesser team.

“I consider myself a dynamic playmaker, a guy who can make the right play. I’m not pass-first, I’m not score-first, I’m a guy who will make the right play,” Wheeler said. “If the game calls for me to get 10 assists, 15 assists, four points, so be it. If the game calls for me to get 20 points and five assists, I’m gonna do that too. I’m just trying to do whatever it takes to win the game, a guy who can do it on both ends of the court. I’m always looking to expand my game, work on areas I need to improve.

“Ultimately, I’m just trying to win, that’s my main thing. I’ll impact games, impact winning, impact the community, impact people around me who just want to watch me play basketball. That’s my biggest thing.”

Coming off a 9-16 season, arguably the worst in program history, winning basketball is necessary in 2021-22. Wheeler hopes to provide that.

The SEC’s intra-conference rule must be overturned

Before we get too carried away, it must also be made clear that while the NCAA has passed its one-time immediate transfer rule, the SEC has not yet waived its intra-conference transfer rule. As of today, Wheeler will have to apply for a waiver through the SEC to play in 2021-22.

The good news? SEC presidents are set to vote on the intra-conference transfer rule on June 3, meaning we may never even get to the waiver process with Wheeler.

“SEC presidents are scheduled to vote on overturning that rule June 3,” The Athletic reported on May 8. “They are considering multiple proposals to change the rule, and all but one allow transfers to become immediately eligible.”

The intra-conference rule is expected to pass, but something to keep in mind.

Point guard help is on the way

Going into the month of May, the Kentucky men’s basketball team had zero point guards signed on for the 2021-22 season following the decommitment of five-star guard Nolan Hickman Jr.

Just three weeks later, however, the Wildcats have now added two point guards to the roster in just five days in Washington on Wednesday and Wheeler on Monday. The former? A consensus top-16 prospect in the class of 2021 rated as high as No. 11 in the country and No. 3 at his position by Rivals.com. The latter? A second-team All-SEC honoree who led the conference in assists last season. Not too shabby.

And just like that, it appears Kentucky’s backcourt is set.