Kentucky basketball: Best one-and-done Wildcats of the John Calipari era
By Josh Yourish
Karl-Anthony Towns. . Center. 528. . 2014-15. Karl-Anthony Towns. 3. player. Kentucky basketball one-and-done rankings
PPG: 10.3 APG: 1.1 RPG: 6.7
Awards: Consensus All-American, NCAA All-Region, All-SEC, SEC All-Freshman, SEC Rookie of the Year
It was hard for any player to stand out on the 2014-15 Kentucky Wildcats. Cal and Kentucky didn't win the national title that year, but that team may still be his crowning achievement and the best roster of the one-and-done era.
Towns joined Andrew and Aaron Harrison, who were sophomores, along with freshmen, Devin Booker, Trey Lyles, and Tyler Ulis, but Towns was the clear best player. That season, Cal had two five-man shifts like a hockey team and rode that strategy to 38-0 before Wisconsin finally knocked Kentucky off in the Final Four.
Towns only averaged 10.3 points, but in the tournament, he averaged 14.2 points while playing just 23.4 minutes per game. On the year, his per 40-minute averages were 19.5 points, 12.7 rebounds, 2.1 assists, and 4.3 blocks.
The Minnesota Timberwolves took Towns No. 1 overall in 2015 and he unlocked his three-point shooting ability in the NBA. Towns is an elite outside shooter at 6-foot-11 but hasn't quite reached his full potential in the league.