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First impressions of Kentucky basketball’s Jarred Vanderbilt

By Matt Upchurch

LEXINGTON, KY - DECEMBER 31: A basketball is shot through into a basket as the Kentucky Wildcats warm up before the game against the Georgia Bulldogs at Rupp Arena on December 31, 2017 in Lexington, Kentucky. (Photo by Bobby Ellis/Getty Images)
LEXINGTON, KY - DECEMBER 31: A basketball is shot through into a basket as the Kentucky Wildcats warm up before the game against the Georgia Bulldogs at Rupp Arena on December 31, 2017 in Lexington, Kentucky. (Photo by Bobby Ellis/Getty Images) /
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LEXINGTON, KY – DECEMBER 02: The Kentucky Wildcats bench reacts after a basket by Hamidou Diallo
LEXINGTON, KY – DECEMBER 02: The Kentucky Wildcats bench reacts after a basket by Hamidou Diallo /

Jarred Vanderbilt made his debut during Tuesday’s loss to South Carolina. Recruiting reports and scouts have raved about his athleticism and potential.

For months, Big Blue Nation has been on the edge of their seats waiting to see Jarred Vanderbilt play. As the Cats lost a few games, social media posts were all about Vanderbilt as the last hope for the Cats.  In his first collegiate game, more than two months into the season, Vanderbilt played a total of 14 minutes.

Barring any injuries in the future, this will be the least amount of minutes he will play in a game moving forward. In 14 minutes of play, Vanderbilt finished with 6 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 turnovers. He also went 2-4 from the free-throw line, which is understandable as I’m sure he had heavy legs during his first game of the season.

It didn’t start pretty for the 6’9″ freshman. Not pretty at all. Vanderbilt’s first shot was certainly forced, and it drew nothing but the backboard. His next offensive possession ended with him turning the ball over. This is where, absolutely prematurely, I started to panic. Is Jarred Vanderbilt over-hyped? Will he actually be the player that can save this season? Is he going to be another Hamidou Diallo-type player on the offensive end? But like I said, that was definitely premature. Freshman jitters, first-game of the season jitters, it is what it is. Vanderbilt settled in though, and that’s very exciting for BBN moving forward.

Jarred Vanderbilt’s athleticism is off the charts, and it is much more evident to me than Hamidou Diallo’s. Vanderbilt, with no experience whatsoever at the collegiate level, rose up to grab rebounds in traffic. He was able to get position in the paint and score. He handled the ball on the perimeter against a pressure-oriented defense. Vanderbilt pushed the ball in transition and he also sprinted without the ball in transition. He recorded a statistic in every category except for a steal, but I can guarantee we’ll see plenty of those from him soon. Vanderbilt will become what Dick Vitale has commonly referred to as a ‘stat sheet stuffer’.

What to expect in the future…

So what should BBN expect from Jarred Vanderbilt moving forward? I think he has a legitimate chance to record multiple double-doubles in SEC play, most likely points and rebounds. I wouldn’t be surprised at all to see Vanderbilt record a triple-double this season, adding in 10 assists in a game.

His court vision and ability to get in the paint are terrific. These usually combine for either buckets or assists. When all is said and done, I expect him to average 11 points, 8 rebounds, 4 assists, 1 steal and 1 block. If he’s able to get into ‘game shape’ sooner than later, then these averages should only increase. But don’t expect to see Vanderbilt playing more than 30 minutes a game any time soon, as he’s just not in good enough shape yet and the Cats are too deep for him to play more than that.

Vanderbilt is absolutely what the Cats need right now. He might not be everything that BBN wants though, because Kentucky basketball fans have exceedingly high expectations. But Vanderbilt is going to bring intangibles and a ‘stat sheet stuffer’ presence to the floor. The interesting issue though is whose minutes will Vanderbilt be taking?

First and foremost, I would expect him to take minutes away from Hamidou Diallo. After that, I think it solely depends on how individual games are going. If Quade Green, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Nick Richards struggle, then Vanderbilt can step in and take minutes away from them. His versatility, offensively and defensively, will make him a mainstay in the Kentucky lineup.

What am I most excited to see regarding Vanderbilt’s return? At the beginning of the season, John Calipari said that most of his plans for full-court press revolved around Vanderbilt. I would love this team to turn up the pressure and guard full-court more often. With Vanderbilt now returning, I hope to see the Wildcats pressing more and more often, similar to the 1996 Kentucky basketball team.

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