Can’t really find anything to disagree on with this assessment. Maybe if I nitpicked but this is pretty spot on IMHO.
Also, excellent thread. You were able to start a thread where 95% has just been basketball talk. Kudos to you sir.
Basketball lineup and possibilities for playing time
- Thread starter Eagles_Ball_69
- Start date
Also, excellent thread. You were able to start a thread where 95% has just been basketball talk. Kudos to you sir.
Guards:
Zoom - 20 mpg
Wilkins 32 mpg...he has to play better defense though
Williams - 25mpg
Morton (surely he's back December-ish) - 10 mpg
Forwards
Milo - 33mpg
Kam (we have to assume he can be back November-ish) - 22 mpg
Ndyia - 20 mpg
McBride- 6 mpg
Center
Moreno - 30mpg
Kepnang - 10 mpg
- Hawthorne, McBride, Noah....they simply are not in rotation or will play sparse minutes when a guy needs to sit a game or foul issues.
- Zoom best figure it out,...or he'll be a bench dude when Morton comes back. But this is one thing I have faith in Pope...he got the best ball out of Butler and the trasformation of Aberdeen was great job. I think by January we'll see a rock solid Zoom and then those minutes can redistribute (Wilkins I think will not be top notch all year)
- I see a ton of potential in Ndyia...but he is erratic.....on offense. And again, I see Pope getting him to taking better shot selection as the year progresses.. But his defensive length is impressive at the PF
- Kam has a shot to be our best bench player...his defense and shooting were the keys to that good stretch of ball last year mid SEC play...and when he went out of lineup....we fell apart down the stretch. He is the key to being a top 10 team vs ranked by not contender.
Zoom - 20 mpg
Wilkins 32 mpg...he has to play better defense though
Williams - 25mpg
Morton (surely he's back December-ish) - 10 mpg
Forwards
Milo - 33mpg
Kam (we have to assume he can be back November-ish) - 22 mpg
Ndyia - 20 mpg
McBride- 6 mpg
Center
Moreno - 30mpg
Kepnang - 10 mpg
- Hawthorne, McBride, Noah....they simply are not in rotation or will play sparse minutes when a guy needs to sit a game or foul issues.
- Zoom best figure it out,...or he'll be a bench dude when Morton comes back. But this is one thing I have faith in Pope...he got the best ball out of Butler and the trasformation of Aberdeen was great job. I think by January we'll see a rock solid Zoom and then those minutes can redistribute (Wilkins I think will not be top notch all year)
- I see a ton of potential in Ndyia...but he is erratic.....on offense. And again, I see Pope getting him to taking better shot selection as the year progresses.. But his defensive length is impressive at the PF
- Kam has a shot to be our best bench player...his defense and shooting were the keys to that good stretch of ball last year mid SEC play...and when he went out of lineup....we fell apart down the stretch. He is the key to being a top 10 team vs ranked by not contender.
McBride needs to shed weight and give it to Hawthorne. I fear both will be ineffective this year due to their bodies. Tayshaun Prince had handles. Hawthorne does not. McBride is a player that wouldn’t have gotten within 100 miles of a Rick Pitino roster due to his lack of conditioning. So essentially this team has no real depth and little margin for error.
Kentucky has two (2) players listed in the CBS TOP 101 players rankings: Momcilovic (#17) and Moreno (#49):
CBS Sports Top 100 and 1 players, as of 10/22/26:
Sophomores: 22
Juniors: 21
Freshmen: 10
Fifth-years: 10
Players by conference:
www.cbssports.com
CBS Sports Top 100 and 1 players, as of 10/22/26:
Most players in the rankings:
- Duke, Florida: 5
- Illinois, Michigan, St. John's, Texas: 4
- Arizona, Arkansas, BYU, Gonzaga, Miami, Texas Tech, UConn, USC: 3
- Alabama, Houston, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, LSU, Louisville, Marquette, Michigan State, Missouri, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Texas A&M, UCLA, Virginia: 2
- Arizona State, Auburn, Baylor, Georgia, Iowa State, Maryland, Mississippi State, NC State, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio State, Purdue, Providence, TCU, Utah State, Vanderbilt, Villanova, Virginia Tech, Wisconsin: 1
Players by class:
Seniors: 38Sophomores: 22
Juniors: 21
Freshmen: 10
Fifth-years: 10
Players by conference:
- SEC: 30
- Big Ten: 23
- Big 12: 17
- ACC: 15
- Big East: 11
- Pac-12: 4
- Mountain West: 1
College basketball rankings: Top 100 And 1 players who will define the 2026-27 season
Our annual talent rundown has every big name to know as we ready for the season's start in November
www.cbssports.com
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The clearest thing that needs to be fixed is Zoom cannot start and needs to ride the pine until he improves consistently. He should get 12-18 minutes a game depending on his play. Over the last 2 exh games, when he does not play, we do way better offensively. We need Zoom to get better.
Right now Mason deserves all of his minutes and its no contest. Mason and Milan have the highest BB IQ's on team right now.
Right now Mason deserves all of his minutes and its no contest. Mason and Milan have the highest BB IQ's on team right now.
Mason coming off the bench is the best thing for him and the team at least through the early part of the season. Gives him time to settle into things and takes any pressure off of him.
That’s a shame. I was hoping we could get a couple minutes a game from him to help Moreno and Frank.
I wish Pope would put him in for all of us to see. lol.
I think most really good teams have more than three guards that can play actual minutes. That’s my biggest concern currently. But honestly, if the top 7 (including Kam in that) are healthy I think the team is fine. Nothing special, but certainly better than last season. Losing anyone of those three guards or Moreno will be a disaster im afraid. Really good teams can still be competitive with the loss of one player.
And out of foul trouble. Two really REALLY big ifs. The problem is they don’t even have another option. Like there’s literally not even a guy that could give them 5 mins and if someone got hurt could increase to 15-20. The likelihood that someone doesn’t get dinged up and miss time or get in foul trouble is about slim and none.
When Pope gambles with roster construction injuries takes him out every time. He must find a way to land a star or two to go with the portal players to balance things out for the long haul. It was a shame that Mark Mitchell from Missouri didn't work out.
Mitchell was a portal player too. So does he need star portal players or star hs recruits? If we are starting 2-3 hs guys that doesn’t probably end well. 1 can start 2 at the absolute most but would prefer not to unless it’s at center and maybe a wing.
I think he just needs a DUDE. Like an absolute stud. His three rosters at UK have lacked that piece. Each team has had a number of decent players, just no dude. All three have lacked legit NBA talent, and that's a problem unfortunately.
I agree the first 2 didn’t have really any nba talent. Alex, Mason and Moreno will play in the nba. Doubt any are nba studs but they will play in NBA. The thing I’ve told numerous people is this is Popes real first high school class he’s had a chance of going hard after. Year 1 all the class was gone when he was hired. Year 2 essentially coming in late on everyone because relationships are build with these kids sophomore/junior years. If he can’t pull top kids this class then I’ll admit something has to change. But Hampton is a top 20 5 star type talent. Idc what the rankings have dropped him to. He played on a horrendous AAU team and that’s when they dropped. He moved to a better team and immediately looked better. I also think he ends up with 2 more high profile kids. That’s all I want. 2-3 hs guys then portal and retention. If he does that and this team performs like I think they will he will be building some excitement. I love this team as constructed. Wish we had 1 more serviceable big or guard if Morton can’t play but that’s it.
I'm not convinced any of those three are legit NBA players. They might get a shot, but it's not a foregone conclusion. All three seem to have a chance, but their story isn't written yet. I think to be really good, you've just got to have that one absolute dude. None of them fit that bill, at least as of yet. None really stick out amongst the majority of college players. There's something to be said for having a guy that can just go get you a bucket when you have to have one. It's THAT kind of player that typically separate the really good teams. I think this team, with that type of player, could be a really good one. As it currently stands, I'd say they're probably somewhere in that 15-30 range barring any injuries to Moreno or one of the three guards. If that happens, I'm afraid this team could slide down to top 50ish. If it doesn't, I can see a world where they get to the top 10.
You said NBA talent. Those 3 have nba talent. And as far as a college DUDE that’s Milan. He just does everything you need to win games. With him on the floor it makes everyone better. He’s so smart and unselfish. Also opens up everyone else because it’s 4 on 4.
I said "legit NBA talent". There's a difference. Milan isn't a dude. A dude can go and get you a bucket when you need one. He's not that type of a player. He's damned good, but that's not his skillset. Make no mistake, I love his game and love watching him play. And totally agree with everything else you said about him.
If you are in the nba you have legit nba talent. Outside of the few like bronny James types. UConn made title game last year without “legit nba talent” in ur view. As far as a guy who can go get a bucket when needed. That’s Wilkins. He is a dawg and has no fear. He will be that guy for us. Mason also is another I expect to get close to that by January/february. As far milan he might not can go drive by his man or whatever but he can get his shot if he wants. Also can go in post anytime he wants.
Semantics, but we disagree on legit NBA talent meaning. This team needs it and doesn't have it. Wilkins takes a lot of shots, yet to be seen if he's simply a volume scorer or someone that can be THAT guy. Early returns just show a hair trigger and a streaky player. If that can be harnessed, I can see it. But there's work to be done for sure. I see what you see with Mason. I need to see more (duh), but I can see where one could get to that conclusion. He's a helluva lot better than I thought he'd be so far.
I'm willing to give Diallo some slack. He hasn't looked great, but Wilkins looked terrible until about 8 minutes left in the Texas Tech game. All it takes is a strong stretch of play for like 5 minutes to shift perception of play.
You must be saying legit nba talent like all star level and it doesn’t take that to win in college. It helps no doubt but you don’t have to have that caliber. Have to have the right mix of guys who work well off each other along with the talent. Good thing about Alex and Mason are both are young and still growing. Alex was a relative unknown this time last year and now has worked himself to big time. Oats wanted him bad and how his guards usually look that says a lot. I saw Alex play from early last year to late and he grew a ton. Got to watch him in person and he has that nba vibe to him imo.
Legit, in my mind, means a regular rotation piece on an NBA team. Reed isn't an all-star, but he's legit NBA talent. There's a big delta between guys that are merely on a roster and rotting on the bench and an all-star. That's what I mean. Like their game translates to a guy actually being an NBA player. As far as Oats goes, he misses on guys too. Because he wanted him is a good sign, he saw tools as well. Unfortunately that's not the only piece. Fortunately it's the toughest piece to acquire. He seems to have that. A little polish and harnessing (somewhat) and we're on to something. But again, that story isn't written yet. Plus, he's got to learn to defend. There's a ton of dudes rotting on NBA benches that can do what Wilkins can do. Heck, there's a ton in college too. He's going to have to be more than a small speed bump on that end of the floor.
He will get better defending. Already showed improvement from 1 game to the next. He was not asked to play defense at furman. They knew they couldn’t afford for him to waste a ton of energy on that end. Being 6’5-6’6 already is a valuable asset with his abilities. Defense is about effort as much as anything and he got benched against tech then came back in and could tell his effort went way up. We have 3 guards who all fight through and around screens and I love that. We haven’t had that under pope except butler.
He can't really get worse, that's for sure. No offense, but I won't take your word for it that he gets better. He's got the tools, no doubt. He strikes me as a little immature with his play (to be expected). If his offense isn't going well, he looks disinterested and just keeps forcing. Getting consistent effort from him and him realizing what good offense is will go a long way towards his improvement. I think everyone can see the tools and skillset, just hope it translates...and quickly. As bad as Diallo has been, and as meh as I think he will be, we need Wilkins to be a stud to have a shot at something meaningful.
You don’t have to take my word. I’m not offended in any way. I’ve seen him several times live at furman and now 2 games on tv at Kentucky. How he looked after being benched against tech and then coming back in is night and day from anytime I’ve seen him. He was shutting down the middle high ball screen. He was jumping it. Icing it and fighting over it. Only thing he kept doing and it’s just a bad habit is going for steals when not needed. But that’s fixable. Effort is what I liked seeing. And I’m not worried about zoom. His offense will come around once he finds his comfort zone. His d hasn’t suffered though and his size helps a ton too.
I know Mitchell was from the portal we need a star talent whether it's portal or highschool we haven't really had that yet.
You just have this thing about saying things in a factual way when it's your opinion. And then just restating them. I get it, you've seen him in person. You like him. I agree, he COULD be those things. It's not a given the way you speak it to be. I don't expect him to be perfect after two exhibition games either. I thought there would, at minimum, be a big growth curve for him. That's proving to be the case. How quickly that growth happens and if he's truly able to get it done, time will only tell.
If you're not worried about Zoom, you either have a different worry meter than most or just don't worry much at all. He doesn't strike me as the type of player that's a PG on a really good team. He's a PG, sure. But I'm not too sure he's a very good one for the level we all want to be at.
Not saying my opinion is anything other than my opinion on what I’ve seen from Wilkins. You are taking a smaller sample size than me so I was giving some background and broader perspective of what I have seen. I know he has a lot still to learn and clean up. All the things are fixable it’s all about how bad he wants to fix it. From what I know he is a hard worker so I’m confident he gets better and better which would be good for us.
As far as not worrying about zoom too much. I don’t because he has a large sample size of a guard who can score efficiently and play solid defense. Like I said he’s learning a whole new role and he will settle in. This offense doesn’t need a traditional PG especially with he and Alex and Mason playing 2 on the court at any given time.
It doesn't really read as opinion. You just say it like it's fact. But now that I've got that caveat, I get it. Hell, I dig the discussions.
Agree on Wilkins, all are fixable. The one thing with him I worry about that really isn't fixable (at least in the short-term) is his build. Hope he can take the pounding at this level.
Diallo dribbles the air out of it and was very ball dominant at Washington. Now, that IS fixable. Agreed. He's going to have to accept that and get the ball out of his hands. He's also going to have to shoot it better than he ever has. My worry with him is he's constantly testing the waters with his dribble. It's why DA had a lot of detractors on here. He doesn't need to do that. Kills the flow of this offense, which honestly, especially if Kam is healthy...the top 7 fit it pretty well. Some learning curves (duh), but just seeing them and their skillsets and the way teams will try to defend them, I can see the fit.
I'm basing Wilkins on what I've seen in two meaningless games, but also his game-by-game numbers from last year. Had some really good ones against the best teams in his league (still not very high quality) and the one obvious game against UConn. He also some real clunkers against some really bad teams, like the worst teams in his league. Is that effort? Is it holes in his game? Who knows? But both are things that will have to be fixed if he's gonna be a dude on this team if this team is any good.
His build is definitely a concern I guess. Never hurts to get stronger and not sure if maybe he has some wiry strength to him or not. I know his quickness makes up for a lot of that. He is lightning quick especially in small areas and short bursts.
Zooms biggest problem right now is his confidence imo. He passed up multiple good looks for 3 against tech. Mason got in his grill about it as did MO. He has to shoot it when open. He’s a solid catch and shoot guy too. I think last year was like 37% on C and S 3’s. He made 1 game 1 in the corner. Solid stroke just no confidence. Hopefully it builds up.
He did have a weird stat line all year. Up and down and like you said showed up in big games and kind of didn’t in others. He was asked to do a lot and as a freshman with not a lot of talent around him. The more comfortable he gets hopefully some of the hero stuff goes away. He was more selective shooting game 2. That’s good. We will see tonight what he looks like. I do know though in crunch time him or Milan are who I want taking that shot.
I think his length will help him negate some of the build issues for sure. I hope he pans out because those bursts he’s shown are pretty freaking awesome. We’ve been spoiled over the years with Herro, Lamb, Murray and the Monks of the world. I’d love to have him play to that level as the season goes along. Like we’ve talked about, the tools are certainly there.
If Diallo can learn to play like Butler did, there’s hope. Man, Butler just fit the system so well. I really liked the way he played and fit into what Pope does. His injury hurt that team more than any of the others, IMHO.
I’d agree, even with some of his wtf moments on offense he’s the dude best suited to go get you a bucket. Here’s hoping he develops some consistency. I don’t want his creativity to go away though, that’s the thing that can make those dudes really special.
Butler injury def hurt. I also think Carr back injury hurt maybe even more or the same. He was such a steady player and always made big plays for us. Just a perfect college 4. He was never the same after he hurt his back. Like butler he played through but at half capacity.
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