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Kentucky basketball: Wenyen Gabriel must return to the Wildcats

By Drew Koch

ST LOUIS, MO - MARCH 11: Wenyen Gabriel #32 of the Kentucky Wildcats celebrates after making a three point shot against the Tennessee Volunteers during the Championship game of the 2018 SEC Basketball Tournament at Scottrade Center on March 11, 2018 in St Louis, Missouri. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)
ST LOUIS, MO - MARCH 11: Wenyen Gabriel #32 of the Kentucky Wildcats celebrates after making a three point shot against the Tennessee Volunteers during the Championship game of the 2018 SEC Basketball Tournament at Scottrade Center on March 11, 2018 in St Louis, Missouri. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images) /
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Wenyen Gabriel was not invited to the NBA Draft Combine. Gabriel must return to the Wildcats for his junior year.

The NBA scouts are sending a loud and clear message to Wenyen Gabriel. Stay in school. The UK forward is the only player from Kentucky, who declared for the NBA Draft, not invited to the NBA Draft Combine.

Gabriel declared for the NBA Draft in April, however, he did not hire an agent. That leaves the door open for Gabriel to return to the Wildcats for his junior season. Gabriel improved leaps and bounds during his sophomore season at UK.

Gabriel increased his minutes played, field goal percentage, three-point percentage, rebounds and blocks. Wenyen averaged 6.8 points per game, 2 more than that of his freshman season. Gabriel brought fire and energy off the bench as a sixth-man for Kentucky last season.

Gabriel’s biggest performance was, of course, against Alabama in the SEC Tournament. Gabriel knocked down 7-of-7 three-point shots. His 23 points in that game were a season-high, and he followed it up with a 12 point performance against Tennessee in the SEC Tournament final.

Next: Comparing NBA stars to Kentucky basketball players: Wenyen Gabriel

Physically, Wenyen Gabriel is the perfect 3-and-D player that NBA teams are looking for. He’s 6’9″ with excellent length and can knockdown open three-pointers. So why was he not invited to the NBA Draft Combine?

The truth is, Gabriel is inconsistent. That game against Alabama was an anomaly. Again, Wenyen had a very solid season, and was a key contributor for the Wildcats. But, Gabriel lacked consistency all season. Some games he would connect on 3-of-4 shots from behind the arc, only to follow it up going 1-of-4 from deep in the next game.

The Kentucky basketball team will be very guard dominant next season. If John Calipari has his way, we’ll see a lot of dribble drive offense, which will leave shooters like Gabriel wide open from behind the arc. Wenyen’s best bet is to return to school, put in some work during the offseason, and be a leader on next year’s Kentucky team.

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