Despite criticism, Kentucky Wildcats platoon system produced results

When you look back at the 2014-15 Kentucky Wildcats basketball season, one word stands out. Platoon. And after the NBA Draft on June 25, two more words will stand out. Lottery Pick.

Despite all the analyzing and criticism of John Calipari’s platoon system, his Kentucky Wildcats should have four players selected in the lottery this year. So with a 38-1 Final Four season and a bevy of lottery picks, you have to admit that this once in a lifetime situation produced results. I get that the team did not win the NCAA Title and that was the intended goal, but winning the NCAA Tournament is probably the hardest feat in sports. No matter how talented your team is. John Calipari made it work.

"He has a firm grip on landing NBA talent and creating an environment that entices them to sacrifice roles, playing time and shots. In return, a Big Blue rising tide lifts all ships when it comes to the draft results that he promises them as recruits.“You have to be a competitor,” Kentucky sophomore center Willie Cauley-Stein said of playing at Kentucky. “If you don’t, you’re going to look weak like you don’t belong. Going in there, you have to go to practice, like, it’s a game or you’re going to look like a fool. There’s always NBA scouts in there (at practices). You can’t go in there like you’re not competing or you look lazy. You look like you’re not interested.”Center Karl-Anthony Towns became a majority choice for the No. 1 pick despite 6.5 shots per game. Cauley-Stein is the draft’s defensive standout despite not leading his team in blocks. Devin Booker was a sixth man at Kentucky but has shot up to a potential top-10 pick. Trey Lyles played out of position in college but will be a top-20 pick for showing a versatile and team-oriented way.If all four go in the draft’s lottery range (one to 14), it will be the most lottery picks from one school since Kentucky had three in 2010 (John Wall, DeMarcus Cousins and Patrick Patterson) when reserve Eric Bledsoe went 18th. But unlike that team, this Kentucky team used a platoon system in which these top four draft prospects averaged between 21 and 26 minutes."

This year proved that there was more to being NBA ready than leading your teams in scoring and padding your stats. Calipari’s system made players adapt to situations where they played out of position some and forced them to compete for playing time. No other school could provide that type of environment.

As for the four players in the NBA lottery? Right now, it’s not a sure thing. The latest mock draft from Draft Express has Karl-Anthony Towns at #1, followed by Willie Cauley-Stein at #6 and Devin Booker at #13. Trey Lyles is outside the lottery at #17. Chad Ford’s latest however does have all four Kentucky Wildcats in the lottery. He has Towns and Cauley-Stein at #1 and #6 with Booker ninth and Lyles at #12. We still have almost a month before the draft, so this is all subject to change.

Just the fact that Devin Booker and Trey Lyles, both incoming freshmen who were expected to stay a couple of seasons, are lottery prospects is a testament to Calipari’s platoon system.

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