Whether you like what Mark Pope is doing in Lexington or not, he isn't hiding from any heat. Pope wears the losses the same way he wears the wins, and that speaks volumes about him as a person. It didn't take long, as fans frustrations were mounting, for Kentucky's head coach to post a video online, asking fans to leave questions. The BBN, as expected, didn't hold back.
And to Pope's credit, he didn't cherry-pick the easy questions. In an obvious reference to Tyran Stokes, who chose Kansas over Kentucky, Mark Pope noted the Cats' pursuit, and eventual loss of, a generational talent. But the Wildcats were aggressive in the transfer portal regardless, landing Zoom Diallo and Alex Wilkins, among others. When asked what excites him about the game of his new backcourt duo specifically, Pope responded succinctly:
"One of the top priorities for us going into the portal was finding creators, and these are two of the elite creators in all of college basketball... They are both over 30% assist rate. There's only one other roster in the entire country with two players over a 30% assist rate. This is going to be awesome."
But in the process of finding shot-creators, Coach Pope may have neglected the pivotal second part to that puzzle: Shot-makers.
Shot-Creating vs. Shot-Making
Last year's Kentucky team struggled to move the basketball; nearly every pass came in a step too late, especially Jaland Lowe went down with an injury. Pope admitted the Cats were "desperate" for shot creators, and he clearly believes that this new duo is the answer to unlocking a heavy ball-movement style. But if you look at the stats, there are some glaring question marks.
Assuming Malachi Moreno comes back from draft consideration, and Kentucky starts Ousmane N'Daiye, Kam Williams, Alex Wilkins, and Zoom Diallo, alongside him, the Cats would have only one player on the floor who shot it from deep at 35% or better last season (Williams came in at a 35.9% clip).
You can get in the paint and kick it out all day, but if no one is there to make the open look, it won't much matteer. But it's not just the shot making; both Diallo and Wilkins have also struggled with turnovers, in spite of their impressive passing.
Worrying Turnover Numbers
Diallo had nine games with at least four turnovers last year; Wilkins, on the other hand had 12 games, and even one in particular where he finished with 11 total. Combining their average assists and turnovers, Kentucky's starting backcourt comes in at a 9.2 assist/6.3 turnover split (Diallo 2.5, Wilkins 3.8).
Both players could take a leap in regards to ball security this season, especially in a better system with more efficient weapons. But it's hard to imagine this thing clicking to a high degree unless Kentucky lands a game-changing scorer.
Since Mark Pope is being open and honest, I will too. I am worried about what this roster will be, as they're currently constructed. The potential is high enough for this team to be his best yet in Lexington, truly. But, the question marks are too hard to ignore, especially after a season that crumbled under the weight of its own expectations.
BBN is behind this bunch either way, but the Cats may need another strong addition or two before the roster takes full, convincing shape.
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