Josh Christopher Future Kentucky Guard?

Kentucky Basketball coach John Calipari recently offered 2020 guard Josh Christopher. If signed, can he start in 2021?

In a shocking turn of events, John Calipari is back on the recruiting trail sniffing out the top prospects in the upcoming recruiting class. Recruiting season is in full swing. So grab a seat, power up your laptop, and settle in for a midsummer night reading vague prospect scouting profiles and watching 50 different player mixtapes, all titled: “JOHNNY APPLESEED WENT OFF AT PEACH JAM! Is He The BEST PLAYER IN AMERICA?” Kentucky offered one of those 50: 6-4 guard Josh Christopher. Christopher has vocalized his infatuation with Kentucky in the past, so odds are he pulls the trigger on a commitment now that he earned a coveted scholarship offer. What kind of player would be joining the BBN? And how good can Josh be in Kentucky blue?

Well, judging by a few of the mixtapes I myself watched: pretty good.

Josh Christopher is a 6-4 combo guard (listed as a SG by 247 Sports) with a deadly jumper and creative off-the-dribble offense. The game seemingly comes naturally to Christopher despite lackluster athleticism. Unlike Jalen Green, a slam-dunking human trampoline, Christopher can’t jump 40 inches into the air and is incapable of physically dominating a basketball game–even at the high school level. By mixtape linguistics, Christopher is a few strides off the Best Player In The Class reservation, which, as I mentioned, expands to like 50 guys. Don’t be fooled: Christopher is a bonafide top-20 player in 2020.

A lack of awe-striking athleticism will knock him down a few pegs on social media and mixtape mediums but his skill and control with the ball are advanced beyond his young age. It sounds crazy but some of the ways he generated separation reminded me of James Harden. Harden, like Christopher, is not a world-class athlete. He creates space off the dribble with head fakes, quick-handed dribbling maneuvers, and fanciful footwork. Harden won’t cram dunks over Rudy Gobert but he’ll nail his token step-back three with scotch tape separation because he noticed his defenders left foot was positioned a quarter of an inch too far to the right.

Christopher plays with that sense of positioning. Like he’s calculated the physics on when he can fire off a clean shot and when a lane is about to open up for him to attack. I like it. It signifies to me that he’s a smart player. Plus, his passing vision isn’t shabby. Translation: we can play him at point guard. (And he already has an A+ celebration, the UKelele?):

via GIPHY

From what I’ve gathered, Josh is a great shooter and phenomenal isolation scorer who passes effectively and knows how to cut or spot-up without the ball. His dunks aren’t products of one-man brilliance. Rather, they come off crisp down cuts. He knows how to play with other elite players.

So, my answer is yes, Josh Christopher can start for Kentucky in 2021 should he commit to play in Lexington. That decision might be months in the waiting. His Peach Jam mixtape is not. Check it out while you’re here.

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