Former Kentucky Wildcats in the NBA: The Complete Road Map

Mandatory Credit: Tom Szczerbowski-USA TODAY Sports

CHUCK HAYES
TORONTO RAPTORS

His days as a starter seem over as Jonas Valanciunas finished last season strong, but Hayes will provide depth, quality minutes, and defensive mettle in the Great White North. Hayes averaged 2.2 points and 3.4 rebounds last year, splitting time between Sacramento and Toronto. You can’t really put numbers on what Hayes provides however as he leads with his hustle.

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TERRENCE JONES
HOUSTON ROCKETS

After just two seasons in the NBA, Jones is starting at the PF position for the Rockets and is slated for a breakout season. Last year. Terrence averaged 12.1 points, 6.9 rebounds, and 1.3 blocks per game. Most importantly, he improved his shooting from 45.7% as a rookie to 54.2% last year. Jones does a lot of things well and most importantly, he does not get into foul trouble and takes good care of the ball. And after hitting just 5 three pointers as a rookie, he drained 31 last year. At just 22, Jones is just coming into his own and should just getting better.

Mandatory Credit: Russ Isabella-USA TODAY Sports

ENES KANTER
UTAH JAZZ

Kanter has improved each of his two seasons in the league and is slated to start at center for the Jazz. Kanter averaged 12.3 points and 7.5 rebounds lat year but he really has to step it up defensively. Kanter is a virtual no show on defense with 0.5 blocks and 0.4 steals a game. Quin Snyder has stated that defensive improvement is expected from Kanter this year and there has been buzz that Rudy Gobert could replace him if this does not happen. Do keep in mind that Kanter is just 22 years old despite having three full seasons under his belt.

Mandatory Credit: Sam Sharpe-USA TODAY Sports

MICHAEL KIDD-GILCHRIST
CHARLOTTE HORNETS

Once thought to be a can’t miss star in the NBA, MKG is at at crossroads in his third season. After a decent rookie season, Kidd-Gilchrist struggled in his second year, seeing his scoring got from 9.0 to 7.2 a game and rebounds from 5.8 to 5.2 a game. Two years in, Kidd-Gilchrist is still struggling with his shot, but even when he is not shooting well, he does a lot of other things very well. He still has those games where he fills the stat sheet and he actually closed out his preseason on a pretty strong note. If he can keep up that momentum and hold off Gerald Henderson for minutes, this could be a turnaround season for MKG.