By Jonathan Coffman
Special to NKyTribune
Following a 115-69 victory over Arizona State, Kentucky basketball coach John Calipari left fans pondering a comment made during his press conference: “The question becomes now: How good can we be?”
Fans may laugh at the thought after defeating a power five conference opponent by 46 points, but he has a point. While the Wildcats have looked dominant thus far, if they improve in certain areas through the season, they have the potential to reach another higher — even scary — level of play.
While realizing some might consider this to be nitpicking, here are three areas on the court the Wildcats can clean up.
Malik Monk can actually improve his three point shooting
Yes, believe it or not, Kentucky’s high-flying freshman has room for improvement.
Monk has led this year’s team in scoring with 19.3 points per game, shooting 38.9 percent from beyond the arc on nearly eight attempts per game. Those are great numbers, but they are a bit deceiving when you look closely.
The Arkansas native’s resume is supported by two fantastic outlier performances. In his breakout game against Michigan State, Monk drained seven of his 11 threes, or 63 percent. Two games later, he made four of his six attempts against Cleveland State to add a 66 percent shooting effort.
However, if you take these two games away, Monk would be shooting a less inspiring 26.3 percent from deep, making only 10 of his 38 tries.
With his athleticism and streaky shooting, Monk has proven to be one half of an explosive Kentucky backcourt. There is no dunk Monk is afraid to throw down, nor a pull up jumper he will shy away from, and that is part of what makes him great.
While Monk may be able to sustain impressive stats with nights of deadly sharpshooting, Kentucky will be best served when he consistently takes his most efficient threes, and becomes truly lethal.
Kentucky needs ‘3 and D-Willy’
During an early stretch of conference play, last year’s Kentucky team found an unlikely hero on the bench: Bullitt County’s own Derek Willis. When given a chance, the junior forward earned playing time by crashing the boards, disrupting plays, and draining 44.2 percent of his threes.
Through seven games, Willis’ shooting has declined to 26.7 percent from deep, and his numbers prove to be more reliable than Monk’s. Willis has not shot better than 33.3 percent from beyond the arc, and has not made more than one attempt in a game this season. At times he has looked hesitant to shoot, often in favor of making another play for a teammate.
Some of his best contributions still won’t make it into the box score. For Willis, it has to be about the little things like diving for loose balls, or trapping an opponent with another defender. He made those plays during the Arizona State game, and to stay on the court, he needs that to continue.
Despite Kentucky’s humming transition offense, having Willis as another threat from deep would provide balance in the half-court. His versatility and athleticism allow Willis to be a real game-changer for the Wildcats, but he has to stay confident enough to prove he is an X-Factor.
“Bam” Adebayo has to smash the offensive glass
Edrice “Bam” Adebayo may only be 18 years old, but let’s make one thing clear: at 6-10, 260 pounds, this teen is a man. With all of that size, Bam has every opportunity to impose his will on opponents and steal extra offensive possessions for the Wildcats.
So far, Bam is averaging 7.6 rebounds per game. Rebounds will fall into his lap with his length and strength, but he can shift an offense averaging 96 points per page to another level by committing to crashing the glass for offensive boards.
Giving a team with this much offensive firepower second opportunities alone should scare opponents, and Bam hasn’t even fully blossomed around the rim for offensive put backs yet.
In due time, Bam may average a double-double. It all comes back to his ability to steal boards on offense. Recently he has made strides in adjusting to the collegiate pace, and the more that continues to improve, the harder this team becomes to defend.
Kentucky is still good, right?
Absolutely. Kentucky is ranked first in the country across all major polls, and for good reason. The defense is smothering, and it is creating perhaps the fastest and most efficient transition offense the Wildcats have had before. This alone can keep Kentucky in any game on the schedule.
Even if this team doesn’t improve, they still may not slip out of the top ten all season. But if they can get better in these areas, Kentucky will be a team everyone wants to watch — and no one would like to play.
Jonathan Coffman is a graduate of the University of Kentucky and former intern for nkytribune.com and KyForward.com