Are any of the Kentucky basketball players headed for the NBA Lottery?
By Drew Koch
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, or SGA, has been the darling of Big Blue Nation for the past few weeks. SGA, the 6’6″ Canadian combo guard broke onto the national scene after his 24-point performance against rival Louisville. Prior to that game, Gilgeous-Alexander was averaging 9.6 points per game and was second banana to Quade Green and his shades.
After playing his best game of the season against the Cardinals, SGA went on a tear entering SEC play. Outside of a forgettable performance against the Tennessee Volunteers that saw him turn the ball over 5 times, Gilgeous-Alexander has been solid.
In 4 out of the first 5 SEC games, SGA averaged 19.3 points, 4.8 assists and 4.5 rebounds. Gilgeous-Alexander suffered another poor performance Tuesday night against South Carolina. SGA had 6 points and 6 turnovers in only 28 minutes of action.
Gilgeous-Alexander was a 4-star recruit according to 247sports.com and initially thought to be 2-3 year player for the Kentucky basketball program. I’m still going to stick with that analysis. Gilgeous-Alexander has outperformed his expectations recently, but just like Knox, the inconsistent performances give me cause to pause.
Perhaps the biggest on SGA right now is his 1.5 assist to turnover ratio. That’s not very impressive for a guard who doesn’t attempt many three-point shots. Gilgeous-Alexander, while knocking down 45% from beyond the arc, has only taken 22 threes this season. SGA, very similar to Knox, has a lot of potential, but lacks consistency. Currently, I don’t see him as a top pick in the NBA Draft.