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Kentucky Wildcats Basketball: The Draft is Approaching

By Shelby Caudill

Jan 23, 2016; Lexington, KY, USA; Kentucky Wildcats guard Tyler Ulis (3) forward Alex Poythress (22) and guard Jamal Murray (23) walk on the court before the game against the Vanderbilt Commodores at Rupp Arena. Kentucky defeated Vanderbilt 76-55. Mandatory Credit: Mark Zerof-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 23, 2016; Lexington, KY, USA; Kentucky Wildcats guard Tyler Ulis (3) forward Alex Poythress (22) and guard Jamal Murray (23) walk on the court before the game against the Vanderbilt Commodores at Rupp Arena. Kentucky defeated Vanderbilt 76-55. Mandatory Credit: Mark Zerof-USA TODAY Sports /
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It’s June, which means the NBA Draft is quickly approaching.

Whoa buddy. It’s already June. May may have been the fastest month ever. It was full of vacations and life-changing adventures for me, I hope it was great for you, too.

Now that June has arrived, it’s time to shift focus back to the upcoming 2016 NBA Draft.

This year the 2016 NBA Draft is June 23, 2016 at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York.

More from Kentucky basketball

If you’re anything like me, you still want to be in denial that the Kentucky Wildcats are losing who they’re losing this year, but you’re also excited for the future of the former players and the future of the Kentucky Wildcats program.

Let’s recap who we’re losing to the 2016 NBA Draft this season:

  1. Alex Poythress- Granted he was a senior last season, it’s still hard to say goodbye to him. He gave the Kentucky Wildcats a great four years and proved that there was more to the players in this program than basketball. He proved academics were just as important, graduating in a mere three years. To put this into perspective, I have yet to graduate and have been at UK longer than him. Rumors have also been swirling that his draft stock is on the rise, which is awesome for him. He deserves it. I foresee a long career in the NBA for Poythress is he’s given the chance to show out and he believes in himself.
  2. Tyler Ulis- This one certainly stings. I was so hopeful to keep him a few years. However, after last season, proving that his 5-9 stature was enough to be the best point guard in college basketball, you can’t blame him for leaving. It’ll be hard to convince some teams that he’s worth a shot with his short stature, but it’s his basketball IQ that makes him the elite player that he is. He will be an absolute steal in the 2016 NBA Draft. I’m excited to see where he goes.
  3. Jamal Murray- He has potential to be the #1 overall pick. It’s not a given, but there is a chance. It’s Jamal Murray, he broke records and shot arrows while with the Kentucky Wildcats. No one expected him to stay past one year, but it sure would have been nice. However, the Big Blue Nation is grateful for the year he gave them.
  4. Skal Labissiere- I was honestly surprised with him this season. He struggled a bit, but you can’t blame him, he was coming into himself as a collegiate basketball player. It’s not easy, some of the best struggle. He was supposed to be the next Anthony Davis, he came into Lexington with unrealistic expectations. After his year with the Kentucky Wildcats, I expected him to stay another year, just to prove himself. But he chose not too, and that’s okay. His NBA work outs have been fantastic and his draft stock is high. I have said it since the beginning of last season, once he gets a little bigger and learns how to work with his physical stature, his comparison to Anthony Davis could be realistic. He has potential to be great.

It’s never fun to lose players, but it’s always fun to watch them succeed, which I believe they all will.

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