Kentucky Basketball: Ranking the Wildcats' 5 Most Important Players on Offense

Most college basketball teams are thrilled to actually have five guys who they can rely on at the end of games to carry the team to victory. Kentucky’s biggest problem is somehow finding a way to narrow the lineup down to five.

Poor Wildcats.

Although it is a problem every coach would love to have, there is something to be said for balancing so much talent and the need for everyone to see the floor. John Calipari will certainly have his work cut out for him once March rolls around because he will have to find the five he will go with in do-or-die situations.

With that in mind, here is a look at Kentucky’s five most important players on offense this season.

Remember, it is important to know that this is not necessarily a list of the best players on the team, just the most important based on how the roster is set up.

No. 5: Andrew Harrison

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Had this list been done a couple of weeks ago, Tyler Ulis would have gotten the nod, but veteran (by Kentucky standards) Andrew Harrison has passed him up.

Harrison is starting to hit his stride as the point guard on this team and actually leads the squad in assists per game. He is also the more experienced option and now has almost two full seasons with his brother and Willie Cauley-Stein under his belt. There is just a comfort level that isn’t quite there with Ulis at this point.

Calipari discussed Harrison’s growth, via Kyle Tucker of The Courier-Journal:

"

He's a sophomore. He's a sophomore. We all forget. Second year. He's learning. So much better than he was a year ago – not even close. By the end of the year, I'm looking for each of these kids to be the best version of themselves. 

"

The best version of Harrison is an important cog in the Kentucky machine, if for no other reason than he sets the table for his teammates better than anyone else on the roster.

No. 4: Willie Cauley-Stein

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Cauley-Stein lands on this list because his skill set is so unique. Anyone who took Economics 101 understands the laws of supply and demand dictate that if something is unique (hence, the supply is one), it is certainly important.

Cauley-Stein has stepped into the role of posterizer for the Kentucky offense thanks to his array of rim-rattling slams right over defenders. They fire up the team (see the Florida and LSU games) and often result in and-one opportunities for the big man.

It is not just his dunking that makes him important to this offense: He gets out in transition like a guard, which is incredible considering his seven-foot frame, finishes in the open floor and even has some solid ball-handling skills. He is also an impressive passer and can finish on the low blocks. 

Best of luck stopping that combination in March.

No. 3: Devin Booker

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Tucker noted that the SEC Freshman of the Week award may as well assume a new name:

There is a reason that Booker has earned that distinction so many times. He is the best three-point shooter on the team (47.3 percent), the second-leading scorer (10.8 points per game) and stretches the floor to open up lanes for the big guys. Booker is so important to this offense because he simply makes it impossible for opponents to effectively double Cauley-Stein or Karl-Anthony Towns down low.

If they do, Booker will drill an open three and swing the momentum of a game. 

There will come a time in either the conference tournament or the actual Big Dance when Kentucky needs to drill a long-range shot to create some separation from its opponent or (gasp!) close a deficit. Nobody is better suited to do so than Booker, which makes him invaluable to this offense.

No. 2: Aaron Harrison

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Booker is the three-point specialist on this team, but he still isn’t more important than Aaron Harrison because of Harrison’s track record.

The sophomore carried the Wildcats in last season’s NCAA tournament with a number of critical shots in the waning moments and would likely be the one Calipari turned to in the clutch this season, as well. That almost instantaneously makes him one of the most important players on the team.

It is not just the clutch gene that puts Aaron Harrison in the No. 2 spot here. He leads the Wildcats in scoring (11.1 points per game), which is kind of the point of the whole offense thing in the first place. 

Aaron Harrison’s inclusion may only come down to two things—scoring leader and the clutch factor—but they are a critical two things.

No. 1: Karl-Anthony Towns

Aaron Harrison may be the go-to guy in the clutch, Booker may be the designated three-point shooter who creates space for his teammates and Cauley-Stein may bring a unique skill set to the table, but Towns is just too talented to ignore.

DraftExpress has Towns as the No. 4 pick in the upcoming draft, and he could theoretically improve on that if he helps lead the Wildcats to a national title with an impressive March.

At 6’11” and 250 pounds, Towns is big enough to bang around down low but also athletic enough to simply slide past bigger defenders. He also has soft touch around the basket and can hit from as far back as the three-point line.

His importance to the offense was on full display in the LSU victory when he left the game for a stretch of time in the second half after an ill-advised technical foul. The Tigers came all the way back to take the lead with the big man on the bench. Naturally, Towns came back in and hit the game-winning shot in the final minute (and proved critical on defense when he forced a shot-clock violation on the ensuing possession).

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While Towns’ defense and rim-protecting abilities are probably more important than his offense, he is still the most vital piece in Calipari’s machine. He can score down low, hit from mid-range and clean up the offensive glass, and he proved he can carry the offense down the stretch in the recent win at LSU. 

The only bad thing about Towns for the Wildcats is that he will likely only be in college one year.

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