Much of Mark Pope's third offseason behind the wheel in Lexington has been centered around the ongoing recruitment of No. 1 overall prospect Tyran Stokes. The NBA-bound forward has, for a while now, been split between Kentucky and Kansas (with Oregon seemingly trailing in distant third) when it comes to where he'll play his expected lone season of college basketball.
The BBN, in some corners of the internet, have grown impatient with Kentucky's roster-building up to this point; although, if Pope lands Stokes, that would seem like the obvious "told you so" sort of answer that fans could use in their time of stress. If he doesn't? Well...
Let's just hope the portal has a hidden answer at the same position. Either way, especially in light of Stokes' supposedly watching both the Wildcats and Jayhawks as they build teams around his hopeful arrival, now feels like a better time than ever to appraise what Pope has managed thus far.
Not to mention that Jeff Goodman noted the possibility of Stokes committing as soon as tomorrow. It's crunch time, Cats fans.
A Timely Roster Appraisal
From the top-down, the Wildcats still have plenty of work left to do as far as roster depth goes. In undoubtedly setting aside a hefty financial chunk in case Stokes commits, the Cats have limited their additions in the offseason up to now.
Returners Kam Williams and Braydon Hawthorne are both bound to bring valuable scoring, perhaps both off the bench, and stand out as high-upside projects at the base of this team. Malachi Moreno, assuming he returns from NBA Draft consideration, should also serve as a solid starting anchor in the frontcourt with an extremely comfortable ceiling to grow into.
Elsewhere, Trent Noah and Reece Potter are seemingly set to play complimentary, if any, minutes in their respective returns.
More than Welcome New Faces
In the way of new faces, Zoom Diallo and Alex Wilkins should man Kentucky's backcourt more than capably, with freshman commit Mason Williams coming off the bench as Diallo's secondary floor general.
While both of the former guards struggle to shoot on a consistent basis, each are dangerous defenders with the ability to get downhill and finish in traffic. Wilkins, especially, has a high scoring upside given his length and previous heavy offensive burden with Furman. In my opinion, the Cats' backcourt is the strongest it has been in the Pope era upon a first glance.
Adding international forward Ousmane N'Diaye to start next to the expected Moreno is another big grab that, while having flown under the radar, should provide Kentucky's offense with a flexible firepower that it lacked this past season.
Success Tied to Stokes
Now, Kentucky desperately needs frontcourt depth and pure scoring to fill out a roster that is currently in good-not-great shape. Stokes would more than meet the final need in the team's projected starting lineup but, of course, the BBN shouldn't bank on his pledge more than they already have.
This offseason hasn't been quite as off-base as many folks may suggest, but Coach Pope has inarguably left a sizable hole in his team as he awaits Stokes' decision. The importance of that decision landing him in Lexington can't be understated to the hoped-for success of Pope's third year.
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