Kentucky basketball: Best one-and-done Wildcats of the John Calipari era
By Josh Yourish
2017-18. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. 9. player. Kentucky basketball one-and-done rankings. . Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. 528. . Point guard
PPG: 14.4 APG: 5.1 RPG: 4.1
Awards: SEC tournament MVP, All-SEC Tournament, SEC All-Freshman
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was the afterthought of Kentucky's incredible 2017 recruiting class. Calipari brought in Hamidou Diallo, Kevin Knox, P.J. Washington, Nick Richards, Jarred Vanderbilt, and Quade Green, but by December, SGA stood out as the best player on the floor in every game.
In the SEC tournament, SGA was a star, averaging 21 points and 6.7 assists to lead the program to its most recent SEC tournament title. Then, he led Kentucky to the Sweet Sixteen as a No. 5 seed and scored 27 points in his team's second-round win over Buffalo.
Again, SGA was overlooked in the draft, going 11th overall to the Charlotte Hornets, but he was traded to the LA Clippers. SGA has found a home in Oklahoma City and in 2022-23 made the All-NBA First Team.