Kentucky Wildcats Basketball: Each Starter's Most Impressive Stat

The most impressive number for Kentucky basketball is zero, and it will be until the Wildcats lose a game. However, it's boring to talk about how they haven't lost yet and more fun to look at individual numbers.

Kentucky has a stretch of interesting games starting this weekend: at Alabama, home against Vanderbilt and at a pesky South Carolina team.

The one thing head coach John Calipari has shown off this season is the roster's depth, sticking to his platoon system after inserting Dominique Hawkins into the starting five in the Wildcats' game against Missouri on Tuesday. So, while looking at who is considered a starter can be a little murky, we'll use the most recent lineup for the sake of argument.

Here is the most impressive stat for each Kentucky starter.

Dominique Hawkins: 3 Starts

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Yes, that's not a misprint. Dominique Hawkins has started three games this season.

This is the same player who was a late commitment last season out of Richmond, Kentucky. The same Dominique Hawkins who was slated around 11th on the depth chart this season. The same Dominique Hawkins who helped Kentucky reach the Final Four by playing suffocating defense on Nik Stauskas.

Calipari loves the way Hawkins plays defense, which allows the sophomore to pressure the ball and be the ball hawk with the first platoon while Andrew Harrison plays point. Hawkins' best attribute, though, is his improvement on the offensive side of the ball.

Can Kentucky win with Hawkins in the starting five? Absolutely.

Expect this number to go up each game.

Andrew Harrison: 1st in Assists

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It could be argued that nobody faces more unfair criticism for his game than Andrew Harrison.

A large majority of Big Blue Nation prefers freshman Tyler Ulis and his pass-first, defensive mindset to the elder Harrison, but it's time to look more in depth.

Harrison is leading the team in assists. Sure, Ulis missed two games, but Harrison is averaging more assists per game. He's currently at 4.2 assists per game compared to Ulis' 3.9 assists per game.

The sophomore is doing a tremendous job of looking to attack and score when needed but keeping everyone in his platoon happy. He's driving into the lane and looking for either the lob pass to Karl-Anthony Towns and Willie Cauley-Stein or the kick to his brother open from deep.

Harrison is starting to look like the player many expected him to be last season, and it's time to enjoy that—as there aren't too many 6'6" point guards in the country.

Aaron Harrison: 31 Percent from Deep

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After struggling with his shot in the regular season as a freshman, many people started to wonder about the talent of Aaron Harrison.

Then his ridiculous shooting run in the NCAA tournament happened, and he looked like one of the most clutch outside shooters of all time.

Heading into his sophomore year, fans expected Harrison to be the knock-down shooter he was in March. However, he's shooting just 31 percent from deep and 36 percent from the field. Both numbers are extremely low for someone as talented as Harrison.

What it shows, though, is Harrison is the definition of a streak shooter. So, while his numbers are low now, don't be surprised to see a game where he shoots 7-of-8 from deep.

Karl-Anthony Towns: 39 Blocks

James Crisp/Associated Press

Why is 39 blocks important, you might ask? Well it means he leads the team in blocks. Something that was predicted roughly eight months ago.

Towns is proving he can be a two-way player similar to Willie Cauley-Stein by protecting the rim better than any other player on Kentucky's roster.

Using his 7'0" frame and longer wingspan, Towns is making Calipari's decision at the end of games easier by not having to sub offense for defense with him.

It shouldn't be that much of a surprise to see Towns do this at the collegiate level. He averaged six blocks a game as a senior in high school. He's more athletic than people realize, and it shouldn't shock anyone when he ends up leading the team in blocks at the end of the season.

Willie Cauley-Stein: 62 Percent from the Line

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The biggest knock on Willie Cauley-Stein over his first two years has been his offensive skill set—but it's also been his biggest area of improvement. Cauley-Stein came to Lexington as a raw project but an athletic freak who could change the game with his energy.

He's started to develop a soft touch and some nice moves, causing him to go to the free-throw line. After shooting 37 percent as a freshman and 48 percent as a sophomore, many wondered if Cauley-Stein could be on the floor in a close game due to his poor shooting.

This year, however, he's hitting 62 percent from the line, causing some relief whenever he has to go shoot. It's no longer a for-sure zero points, as many expect him to get two points each time now.

If he continues to improve his touch from the line, there will be no question of leaving him in late in games, allowing Kentucky to keep a great defender on the floor at all times, too.