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Kentucky Wildcats Marcus Lee and Tyler Ulis Look Ahead to Breakout Season

By Brian True

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After a disappointing ending to a phenomenal season, the 38-1 Kentucky Wildcats lost nearly all of their production from the historic season. Willie Cauley-Stein, Aaron Harrison, Andrew Harrison, Dakari Johnson, Devin Booker, Trey Lyles, and Karl-Anthony Towns are all gone to the NBA Draft. Returning from this historic season, however, are two players that we should all feel comfortable leaving the program in their hands. Those players are Marcus Lee and Tyler Ulis. (Yes, Alex Poythress is returning too, but he didn’t play enough this season to be a big part of it all.) For us, as fans, we should be excited for that. Those two have played well enough in their time here to show us some flashes. And next season, it’ll be their time to shine.

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Let’s start with Marcus Lee. The high-flying power forward has bee overshadowed by Willie-Cauley Stein, Dakari Johnson, Julius Randle, Trey Lyles, and Karl-Anthony Towns in his two seasons in Lexington. However, in the time he’s been given, he’s provided highlight dunk after highlight dunk. And those were off lobs from a non-traditional point guard. With Tyler Ulis returning as well, expect some on-point passes (more on that in a minute) for some beautiful lobs next season. And of course, don’t forget about his athleticism. His amazing leaping ability is what allows these highlight dunks to occur in the first place, so think what he could do as the primary low-post defender. You want to see more swats? Well, get ready for Marcus Lee.

The next guy is Tyler Ulis. While he was (by far) the smallest guy on the court for the biggest team in college basketball last season, he was by no means overshadowed. Often running the second unit, Tyler Ulis predicated his game on defensive toughness. Who doesn’t remember the game where blood was running down his face and he had to be pulled off the court? Yeah, he’s THAT tough. And that’s not even throwing in the fact that he has Rajon Rondo-esque passing abilities. The way he can guide a bounce pass to the perfect spot or place a lob right into another players hands is impeccable. With Tyler Ulis running the Kentucky Wildcats next season, there will be no shortage of open shots. Because if a guy is open, even if just for a split second, he’ll find him and get him the ball with little effort. His passing is an art, and it certainly shows.

So again, don’t worry about this Kentucky Wildcats program. It’s in GREAT hands. Both Marcus Lee and Tyler Ulis are going to make sure there isn’t any drop off for next year’s team. And with a guy like John Calipari at the helm of it all, expect some other decent (read: GREAT) players to make their way to Lexington, KY for next college basketball season. Why should we not worry, you ask? This is Kentucky. We do whatever we want.

Next: Quotes from the Farewell Press Conference

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