Kentucky Basketball: Predicting Wildcats' Stat Leaders for 2016-17 Season

Even with a long time until November, it's never too early to start making predictions for the Kentucky Wildcats' upcoming season.

As usual, Kentucky will head into next year with a lot of roster turnover. There are a handful of incoming impact freshmen, but the team also has to deal with departed players headed to the NBA or other schools after transferring.

While this creates a lot of uncertainty heading into the season, those still on the roster have shown enough to get a general sense about what to expect from each player. The surprises and disappointments that come each year will cause some changes, but the relative numbers should be close.

This might look crazy by season's end, but here are predictions for which competitors will lead the major stat categories for Kentucky in 2016-17.

Points Per Game: Malik Monk

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De'Aaron Fox is the top recruit in Kentucky's class, rated No. 6 overall by 247Sports' composite rankings. He and Bam Adebayo possess tons of upside and should contribute in different areas right out of the gate.

However, Malik Monk might end up being the best scorer out of all of them and should use his ability to lead the team in points next season.

Like Jamal Murray last season, Monk has a beautiful shooting stroke to knock down shots from beyond the arc as well as the ball-handling ability to create open looks for himself. Just as important, he has the confidence necessary to become a go-to option early in his freshman season.

While a more balanced roster will likely prevent the incoming guard from replicating Murray's 20 points per game, the 6'3 ½" Monk certainly has the talent necessary to average close to 15 points per game. This will be enough to lead the way on a young Wildcats roster.

Assists Per Game: De'Aaron Fox

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Once again, replacing a departed star will not be easy. Tyler Ulis was one of the best pure point guards in college basketball last season, averaging seven assists per game and seemingly always in control offensively.

Fox will struggle to match this production due to more of a shoot-first approach, but he does have an advantage over the 5'9" Ulis in a few areas. The 6'3" guard has the edge in size, strength and athleticism that will allow him to get into the lane and force the defense to adjust. From there, he can find open teammates who can finish from all over the court.

While Fox will often drive to score, everyone will need to be ready for a quick pass.

His assist rate will only improve as the year progresses, but Kentucky should expect about four or five assists per game over the course of the season.

Rebounds Per Game: Bam Adebayo

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One of the biggest problems last season for Kentucky was the inconsistency on the boards between Alex Poythress, Skal Labissiere and Marcus Lee, especially on the defensive end.

Those players are now all gone, but the pressure is on the reinforcements to provide stability in this part of the game. While returning players Derek Willis and Isaac Humphries will get their minutes along with incoming freshmen Wenyen Gabriel and Sacha Killeya-Jones, the most likely player to lead the way in rebounding is Edrice "Bam" Adebayo.

Adebayo has the size at 6'9", 232 pounds to be a force inside on both ends of the court. He is especially effective when it comes to rebounding, where the forward's strength makes it tough for opponents to get to any loose balls.

He showed this off at the McDonald's All-American Game where he tallied 16 points and 12 rebounds—the only double-double in the game.

With an advanced skill set, Adebayo will be ensured plenty of playing time throughout his freshman season, whether that comes at the 4 or 5. From there, he could easily bring in about eight rebounds per game to lead the team.

Steals Per Game: Isaiah Briscoe

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One of Kentucky's biggest strengths next season should be its perimeter defense with Fox and Isaiah Briscoe lining up next to each other in the backcourt. Both are aggressive defenders with the physical tools and mentality necessary to be elite stoppers at this level.

Briscoe didn't rack up tons of steals this past season—just 1.0 per game to rank second on the team behind Ulis. However, he has the opportunity to improve upon these numbers in 2016-17.

With Fox and Monk on the roster, the coaching staff will have more versatility to use Briscoe at different positions instead of forcing him to defend bigger opponents. Against smaller guards, his quickness will become a legitimate asset. 

With his wingspan of 6'9 ½", according to Mike Schmitz of DraftExpress, Briscoe should also be able to get his hands into passing lanes and deflect balls that way.

If things go well, the sophomore guard could average close to two steals per game.

Blocks Per Game: Isaac Humphries

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This one is the hardest to predict because it will mostly come down to playing time from the big men.

Willis should end up with a significant role after his impressive play at the end of last season, but he is not much of a true rim protector. Neither is Adebayo, who can play strong on-ball defense in the paint but isn't likely to come over to help like some Kentucky centers in the past.

Gabriel and Killeya-Jones have plenty of upside but are both relatively raw and could struggle to get regular playing time early in the year.

This leaves Humphries, whose 7.6 percent block rate last season ranked second on the team behind only Labissiere, per KenPom.com. The Australian earned extra playing time as the year progressed last season and showed he could be a legitimate defender at this level.

Even if he manages just over one block per game, it would be a solid sophomore season for the young player.

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