Contrary to the opinions of rival fanbases absolutely bent on baiting rage out of the Big Blue Nation, Kentucky has a good team heading into Mark Pope's third year in Lexington. Following a season marred by inconsistent depth and the lack of a true point guard, Pope has addressed both of those issues succinctly this offseason.
Given the expected addition of one more piece off of the bench, the Wildcats have a strong second rotation ready to rock. To boot, Zoom Diallo came into the offseason as one of the transfer portal's best, most well-rounded point guards, and Kentucky locked him up essentially out of the gate.
But with Otega Oweh on the way out and Tyran Stokes committing to Kansas, the Wildcats are left with a superstar-sized hole in the center of the roster. Kentucky has a solid cast of good - even great - players, but I'm not so sure they've yet landed "that guy"
Getting "That Guy"
The Cats' starting lineup looks relatively solidified, otherwise. The aforementioned Diallo will take up backcourt duties with Alex Wilkins and, on the other end of the five-man bunch, Ousmane N'Diaye and Malachi Moreno (expectedly) will run things down low.
Again, though, where Stokes was meant to click-in at the three spot remains a point of need. The natural solution for that spot would seem to be Kam Williams. Entering his third season, Williams could very much be primed for a leap, and is likely to play serious minutes for Kentucky either way.
But assuming he was meant to play with the second group before Stokes left for Lawrence, throwing him in with the starters and pretending that was the plan all along simply won't work. The BBN has Williams' back, absolutely, but I don't think they're going to buy that.
To boot, Kentucky undoubtedly has a fair share of leftover NIL money in Stokes' wake. The blue and white need a bonafide star; given the microscope on recruiting (in Lexington especially), this isn't a problem that will fade away, either.
Mark Pope's team seems to be one perfect piece away from where they need to be, and the pressure is on to find it.
Finding the Final Piece
What makes this conundrum worse is that, as a result of waiting so long for Stokes, what remains in the transfer portal is little to nothing, at least in the way of "star power." Unless Pope heads overseas once more in search of his primary playmaker - and he very well could - it's hard to see how he and Kentucky will come up with the stud they so desperately need.
BBN is basically waiting on a miracle at this point, as the staff races the clock behind the scenes. The roster is good as-is, but whether or not Kentucky takes the needed leap to greatness will likely come down to these next few weeks.
In the meantime, BBN, don't back down from those Louisville fans online. Pull out the all-time record and championship count, if they force your hand.
Add us as a preferred source on Google