Kentucky Basketball: Is Devin Booker Capable of Being Wildcats' Go-to Scorer?

Star-studded college basketball teams like this season’s version of the Kentucky Wildcats are the reason why the idea of tanking is even discussed in the NBA in the first place.

After all, in DraftExpress’ latest mock draft, Karl-Anthony Towns checked in as the projected No. 3 pick, Willie Cauley-Stein was No. 6, Trey Lyles was No. 25, Dakari Johnson was No. 30, Andrew Harrison was No. 47 and Aaron Harrison was No. 51.

Naturally, freshman Devin Booker has emerged from that group as arguably Kentucky’s best offensive threat—and the No. 14 player in that mock draft—even though he doesn’t even start for head coach John Calipari.

The scary thing for the rest of the nation is that, even with those future NBA players for teammates, Booker could become the squad's go-to scorer for the rest of the season.

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On the year, Booker is second on the team in scoring at 10.8 points per game and first in three-point percentage at a 50 percent clip. However, he has played his best offensive basketball as of late and topped double-digit point totals in six of the last nine games, including three performances of at least 18 points.

CBS Sports’ Jon Rothstein was rather impressed with Booker’s most recent effort in the win over South Carolina:

The reason this may seem so surprising even though Booker is an incredibly talented player is that he was somewhat overshadowed by his own recruiting class when he arrived at Kentucky alongside Towns, Lyles and Tyler Ulis.

Towns was arguably the most anticipated recruit in the country this side of Duke's Jahlil Okafor, Lyles was the centerpiece of a heated recruiting battle and Ulis simply stood out because of how talented he was for a 5’8” player.

It was through no fault of his own, but Booker was overshadowed even though he would have been the crown jewel for most teams’ classes across the nation.

Booker is no longer overshadowed now primarily because of his ability to hit from deep.

As mentioned, he is leading the Wildcats in three-point shooting and has hit 22 of his last 33 shots from downtown in the past nine games for a 66.7 percent mark. He is also capable of attacking the basket if needed and playing solid defense, but he is most valuable for this Kentucky team because of his shooting stroke.

Seth Davis of Sports Illustrated had a rather humorous take on Booker’s shot:

Considering Booker's recent shooting, fellow freshman Ulis discussed his strategy on the floor with The Associated Press (h/t ESPN.com): "I just try to find him. We came to school together. He gets the job done. He can shoot the ball so if I need to outlet, he's going to be there.”

That type of outside production is so critical for Kentucky because this team is loaded in the frontcourt, and for as clutch as Aaron Harrison has been from behind the arc in his career, Booker and Ulis are the only players shooting better than 36 percent from deep on the roster.

Nam Y. Huh/Associated Press

The Wildcats need that type of shooting to space the floor and force defenders to pick their poison with this loaded roster.

If the opposing defenses double any of the bigs or collapse on Ulis’ penetration, Booker will be there to drill the open three every time.

There are so many options on the 19-0 Wildcats that calling any one individual the go-to scorer is almost irresponsible—even with Booker’s recent play.

First off, Calipari has been liberal enough with his substitution patterns in an effort to get everyone playing time that nobody on the team really has the opportunity to put up monster numbers like a star player would if he were on the floor for 35 minutes.

In fact, seven players average more than 20 minutes a night and nine average more than 18 (including Alex Poythress, who is out for the season).

What’s more, the ball finds the hot hand on this team because there are so many future NBA players on the roster, and points guards Andrew Harrison and Ulis are willing to share. Lately, that hot hand has been Booker, but it has been Cauley-Stein, Towns, the Harrisons and Ulis at different points of the season.

Booker is immensely talented and has increased his stock more than any other Kentucky player this year, based on the combination of impressive results and slightly lower expectations coming into the season.

If we are asking whether Booker is capable of becoming the Wildcats’ go-to scorer, then the answer is a resounding yes.

James Crisp/Associated Press

He has proven as much over the course of the past nine games and deserves the recognition.

However, circumstances and the sheer number of offensive options on Booker’s team will prevent that scenario from becoming a night-to-night reality.

Still, you shouldn’t be surprised when he goes off a few more times before March.

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