Kentucky Basketball: 5 Things That Should Worry Wildcats Fans in 2016-17

Kentucky basketball fans are used to cheering for a winner, but the 2016-17 season won't always be smooth sailing.

The Wildcats received an infusion of new talent in the form of one of the top recruiting classes in the country, a group that ranked second in 247Sports' composite rankings. They also return some quality players from last year's squad who should help make this team the favorite in the SEC and a top contender nationally.

On the other hand, we saw last season with a second-round NCAA tournament exit that talent alone might not be enough to win a championship.

As good as Kentucky could be next year, there are real causes for concern heading into the season. Here is a look at a few things that should worry fans before play begins.

Starting Over

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Malik Monk

The biggest problem with recruiting such good players every year is that most of them are gone after their freshman seasons. Some of those who don't go to the NBA choose to transfer before completing their four years.

This means the Wildcats are forced to basically start from scratch every season.

Obviously, this creates a challenge for coaches trying to get players to fit into a system and learn the offensive and defensive strategies. However, a bigger issue is the unknown that comes with players making a big leap in competition.

There are a number of highly regarded players in the incoming class, but scouting rankings don't always lead to success. Skal Labissiere was the latest example of a top prospect who didn't quite live up to expectations, which ended up holding the team back.

As good as the 2016 class could be, there is nothing more than a bunch of unknowns to go with a handful of returning role players on next year's roster.

Backcourt Depth

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Kentucky had one of the top backcourts in college basketball last season, but the starters had a lot of pressure on them due to a lack of depth behind them. Charles Matthews became the only trustworthy option off the bench for the majority of the season, and even his impact was minimal.

Next season appears to pose a similar problem as De'Aaron Fox, Malik Monk and Isaiah Briscoe all figure to be in the starting lineup, leaving seniors Dominique Hawkins and Mychal Mulder as the only legitimate options off the bench. Considering how infrequently this duo played last year, it would be surprising to see a major jump in minutes.

As a result, the coaching staff will once again ask a lot of its young players in the backcourt. Two freshmen and a sophomore will have to play well north of 30 minutes per game, which can wear on athletes who haven't experienced this type of workload.

If there are any injuries to key players, there will be problems.

No Tyler Ulis

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Jamal Murray might have been the leading scorer last season, but Tyler Ulis was the true leader on the court. The SEC Player of the Year and consensus All-American made everyone around him better—something that's not easy to replace.

Ulis set a new Kentucky record with 246 assists on the year, tallying an incredible 3.57 assist-to-turnover ratio in the process.

Briscoe showed plenty of instincts as a point guard last season, while Fox is rated as the No. 2 point guard in the class, per 247Sports. However, neither of them will be able to fill the shoes of the departed superstar.

The Wildcats will need to step up as a team with all doing their parts as passers, scorers and defenders to replace the one player. Still, not having someone like Ulis will be a major concern going forward.

Lack of Chemistry

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The biggest problem with relying on incoming freshmen to produce is the unknown about which prospects will live up to expectations. Still, a lack of chemistry is an issue that comes in as a close second.

According to KenPom.com, Kentucky finished last season 335th in college basketball in minutes continuity from the previous year. This obviously doesn't guarantee success, but teams like Kansas, North Carolina, Oklahoma and others had big seasons after rating highly in this category. 

Villanova won a national championship thanks to a deep rotation and a balanced effort from everyone on the team.

While Kentucky could have unselfish players on the roster, it will take some time for the players to familiarize themselves with each other and get comfortable on the court. Inserting five new freshmen into a rotation is always a challenge, regardless of how good they are.

As the Wildcats are figuring out how to work together, the rest of the country could end up passing them by.

Competition

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Kentucky is always a top contender for a national championship, and anything less is usually considered a disappointment. The problem is even with a talented roster, there is a lot of competition nationally.

There will be a handful of teams returning lots of veteran talent like Oregon, Kansas, Villanova, North Carolina, Xavier, Wisconsin and others, all of which already have the type of chemistry the Wildcats lack.

Meanwhile, even the recruiting class isn't as dominant as usual. Duke actually has the No. 1 class in the country, per 247Sports, while Michigan State and North Carolina State aren't too far behind. Fox, Monk, Bam Adebayo and others are all impact players who will make a difference right away for Kentucky. Still, it's not the type of group that will step on the floor and cruise to victory.

In a rare twist to the usual story, Adebayo is the only Kentucky player DraftExpress projects to go in the top 10 of the 2017 NBA draft. The true game-changing talents like Josh Jackson, Jayson Tatum and Harry Giles all chose rival programs.

As good as the Wildcats could be, the depth in both talent and experience around the country will make next year's path to a title difficult.

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