With news that Malachi Moreno will be back in Lexington for his sophomore season, Kentucky's roster is nearly finalized (keyword there is nearly).
Five-star target Ryan Hampton decided to stay in the class of 2027, and a handful of Euro prospects chose to hold out overseas, meaning that the big fish that is still out there is Milan Momcilovic. He'll have to make his stay/go decision by midnight tonight; in the meantime, it's worth gauging exactly what Kentucky has right now.
The Cats have a good pair of starting guards with an assist rate of over 30%. But both Zoom Diallo and Alex Wilkins are guys who need the ball in their hands. Pairing them together creates shots, but it also raises a question about how well they'll be able to play off one another. Much like last year, shooting is also a concern. Only Kam Williams has proven he can hit above 36% from range on a more than one-season instance.
Kentucky needs a major breakout from someone currently on the team and, to me, three major candidates come to mind.
Kam Williams and Braydon Hawthorne Lead the Way
Braydon Hawthorne is a former top-35 recruit who chose the not-so-easy path of redshirting. He practiced, hit the weight room, learned the system, and now is back and likely to benefit from a real, minutes-heavy role.
Hawthorne can score on all three levels, but the big concern is whether his body develops enough to handle the physicality of SEC opponents. He put on nearly 20 pounds of muscle over the last year, though, and is poised to make an impact. He could be a sleeper breakout guy.
Kam Williams, on the other hand, came back from a broken foot this past season to try to help Kentucky make a late run in the NCAA Tournament. The team fell short, but a second year in Mark Pope's system has the potential to be crucial for Williams.
Looking back at Jaxson Robinson's second-year jump under Pope offers a glimpse of how good Williams could be. Robinson, much like Williams, is a slender slasher who can hit the deep ball. Robinson jumped from eight points to 14 and won the 6th man of the year in the Big 12. If Williams has a similar pop, Kentucky could really take off offensively on his wings.
Last, But Certainly Not Least
And, of course, Moreno's officialy return is huge. Allowing a 7-footer another year in college to develop is a luxury a lot of teams won't have. Last season, Moreno got physically beat up as the season went along (the black eye was a killer look), but another year of offseason weight work should help with that.
His rebounding will have to improve, too, but the biggest thing will be his defense. Moreno needs to be a rim protector if this Kentucky team is going to be able to survive. But NBA teams took serious interest in him for a reason; Kentucky as a diamond waiting to be polished.
Lastly, if push comes to shove and the Cats find themselves digging deep on the depth chart as a result of more injuries, I don't want to count out a year-three Trent Noah.
Yes, Noah has struggled defensively, and yes, his shot dried up last season. But when Noah is on, he passes the ball at a high rate and is always looking for teammates.
Is he going to lead the team in scoring? No, almost certainly not. But he can be a seven-point, five-rebound guy playing limited minutes on a team that needs reliable shooting and solid depth? Sometimes, a breakout may simply mean a role played to perfection. Never count a Kentucky kid out!
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