Photo by Chet White, courtesy of UK Athletics
Kentucky fans know every year that a couple of guys will make the jump to the NBA but the Wildcats are expected to return the majority of their roster next season.
The only three players currently receiving multiple projections for the first round are Kevin Knox, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, and Hamidou Diallo. Jarred Vanderbilt received one projection for the first round.
Knox is considered Kentucky’s best chance to have a lottery selection in June’s NBA draft, as all projections have him inside the draft lottery. Sports Illustrated and Bleacher Report list Knox as the ninth overall draft prospect while ESPN and NBAdraft.net place him at No. 10. His lowest projection is 14th by CBS Sports.
Gilgeous-Alexander is the guy that continues to climb draft boards but it’s a wide range of possible selections. NBAdraft.net lists SGA as the No. 12 prospect in the draft while ESPN lists him at No. 19. A strong March could elevate him even further up the charts but regardless, SGA will have a tough decision to make when the season comes to an end. When John Calipari landed him as a four-star, fans instantly thought he’d be a 3-4 year guy but that might not be the case.
Another player that will have a tough choice to make is Hamidou Diallo, who decided to return to Kentucky after a wide range of projections for last years draft. Currently, Diallo is projected as high as No. 18 by NBAdraft.net and as low as No. 44 by ESPN. There are no current projections for Diallo to land in the lottery. Does he risk returning to Kentucky to see his minutes drop with three more wing players on the way? Tough call.
Meanwhile, Jarred Vanderbilt is listed at No. 25 by CBS Sports and No. 57 by ESPN. News broke this morning that Vanderbilt suffered an injury in practice on Tuesday and is considered day-to-day.
