Kentucky's Tyrone Riley IV interest reveals Mark Pope's massive roster building flaw

Kentucky basketball did not have many shot makers last year; only Collin Chandler shot above 37% from deep. They also didn't have many shot creators. Denzel Aberdeen had the lowest assist total since Davion Mintz' COVID shortened season. Kentucky didn’t just struggle to score last season; it lacked players who could create shots at all. Now Mark Pope is trying to fix both problems at once, but are his targets actually able to fit that profile?

Enter San Fransisco's Tyrone Riley IV in the maybe section.

Tyrone Riley IV has a complete game

Nothing is going to stand out when you watch Riley play, except that he does all the things you need to win basketball games. And that is really all you need. The 6'6 guard averaged 12 points and 4 rebounds on 47% from the floor. He had 3 double-doubles on the season and hit 20 points 3 times, showcasing a game that is not full-on star, but a guy who can do what you need him to do from night to night.

I hear you groaning through the screen, and it may not excite everyone. Kentucky does need stars and not role players. I agree. Riley is very much a role player. BUT you can't have a team full of stars; there is only one ball on the floor, and you need guys willing to sacrifice for the team and still give effort.

Riley is that guy; he had 24 games with at least 1 steal and fits where Mark Pope is going with his recruiting.

And he’s not the only one who fits this mold.

Mark Pope's recruiting profile emerges

If you pay attention to the guys Kentucky has confirmed its interest in, you can see a clear player archetype emerging.

Miles Byrd, Camren Hunter, Finley Bizjack, and now Tyrone Riley IV present guys who are long athletes. 3 of the 4 are above 6'4, and Hunter is 6'3. They all present defensive versatility that would allow the Cats to switch nearly everything 1-4. That was a struggle this past season, so you can see Pope trying to figure out the defensive end.

But that also brings questions about the offensive end. Byrd and Bizjack were inefficient on the offensive end, shooting a combined 41% from the floor. Hunter really struggled after transferring to Wisconsin and shot just 12% during his one season in Madison. Now, he did average 21 at Central Arkansas this past season, but it is at least a worry that his game may not translate to the high major level.

Riley is the most efficient of the bunch, but none of the guys are elite playmakers for others; none of them average more than Denzel Aberdeen did last season. And the offense was a huge flaw when Iowa State basically made Kentucky look like a JV team with 20 turnovers.

The roster isn't done just yet, and these are just targets, but there is a reason to worry that maybe Mark Pope didn't learn his lesson after loading up on role players last year that didn't excel in any area.

Kentucky needs stars to elevate the roster. These players make sense individually, but not if they define the entire class.