Skal Labissiere Declares for 2016 NBA Draft: Latest Comments and Reaction
Skal Labissiere arrived at Kentucky as a surefire lottery pick. He announced his departure for the 2016 NBA draft Tuesday on much shakier ground.
Labissiere thanked the Kentucky family on his departure, per the school's release:
"I want to thank my family, my coaches, teammates and most importantly I want to thank God for the opportunity that he gave me to represent and play for the University of Kentucky. I also want to thank the fans for their support through everything this season. I am excited to announce that I am entering the 2016 NBA Draft.
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John Calipari took to Twitter to express his feelings on the former Kentucky big man:
"I couldn’t be more proud of a player and the way Skal handled himself on our campus this season. He was a great student, a great teammate and I’m so proud of the way he handled himself in the community. Skal is one of the greatest kids I’ve ever coached. On the basketball court, it took him and our staff a while to figure out how to best utilize him, but Skal's improvement over the year is why he is in this position to put his name in the draft & be projected in the middle of the lottery. Skal's future is out ahead of him & I think in time he will be in the same breath as all of our big guys who have performed well in the NBA.
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Labissiere averaged 6.6 points and 3.1 rebounds per game during his lone season at Kentucky, occasionally flashing brilliance but frustrating more often than not.
Billed as the next centerpiece to a deep Kentucky team, Labissiere was clearly not ready for major college basketball. He struggled with basic defensive rotations, offered very little consistency offensively and was at times a walking foul. In 15.8 minutes per game, Labissiere averaged three fouls.
"The game is just a little bit too fast and too physical for him. He needs to keep things simple. It's hard for him to make decisions at game speed," an NBA scout told C.J. Moore of Bleacher Report. "It's hard for him to get where he wants to go because of a lack of physicality. But he still has that high-release jump shot, still can block some shots. The rest of it has been a real struggle for him."
"There’s no way [Labissiere] is ready for the NBA," ESPN's Dick Vitale said, per Brad Crawford of 247Sports. "He needs Kentucky more than Kentucky needs him."
Despite all the criticism and growing pains, there is the makings of an NBA player here. Labissiere is a smooth, nearly 7-foot athlete who stretches the floor well. He has a nice look to his jump shot and might be able to stretch out beyond the three-point line in a few years. Calipari has even admitted that he didn't do the best job coaching his young big man.
"I probably screwed this guy up trying to make him Karl Towns," Calipari said of trying to force Labissiere to post up. "He's not Karl Towns. He can't play like Karl Towns. He probably shoots better than Karl Towns. Karl would love hearing that. But he's not Karl. Karl had a nasty-beast streak in him. He's averaged more rebounds and points in the NBA than he averaged here."
There is going to be a team in the back half of the lottery that looks at Labissiere and rolls the dice. There is just too much talent there for him to not start recouping his value once scouts see him in drills and at the combine.
After one season at Kentucky, though, it's clear the learning curve is going to be high.
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