Quade Green to Kentucky: Comparing 5-Star Recruit to Past John Calipari PGs

The commitment of 5-star point guard Quade Green was an important one for Kentucky on Saturday as it gave them a future floor general who is happy to get others involved.

Adding the Philadelphia native gave the Wildcats the No. 1 recruiting class in the Class of 2017 heading into the season as the 6'0" Green gives head coach John Calipari another 5-star lead guard to work with.

Since becoming the head coach at Kentucky before the 2009-2010 season, Calipari has brought in a number of high-level point guards to the Wildcats.

Calipari has coached De'Aaron Fox, Tyler Ulis, Andrew Harrison, Marquis Teague, Brandon Knight, John Wall and Eric Bledsoe among others that he's put at lead guard. That list is littered with NBA players and a lot of 5-star talent.

Here's a look at how Green compares to those great Kentucky point guards who have played for Calipari with a breakdown of specific skills.

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Size

Since Green is coming in at 6'0", he's on the shorter end of the spectrum when it comes to Kentucky point guards who have played for Calipari. Most of the guards the Wildcats have had under Cal have been bigger than 6'2" but a few of them come close to Green's size.

Tyler Ulis was a little bit too small to compare to Green since he was only 5'9", but the Phoenix Suns guard proved undersized lead guards could still thrive in Kentucky's offense under Calipari. That is definitely a positive sign for Green.

Marquis Teague is probably the best size comparison for Green. Entering Kentucky from the Class of 2011, Teague was listed at 6'1", 165 pounds on Scout.com. Teague was one inch taller and 10 pounds lighter than Green is at right now.

Although Teague's NBA career didn't pan out like others who played for Calipari, he did help the Wildcats win the national title as a starter during his freshman year, so it shows Green could have enough help around him to still win at Kentucky.

Scoring

The size of Green has him close to Teague and Bledsoe when it comes to former Kentucky point guards, but Green is more similar to Ulis when it comes to scoring. 

Bledsoe and Teague were both solid leapers who could play above the rim off the dribble. Green plays closer to the ground like Ulis did, and they have some similar percentages shooting the ball.

In 22 Nike EYBL games this spring and summer, Green shot 36 percent from three-point range while converting 84 percent of his free throws. As a sophomore at Kentucky, Ulis was 34 percent from three-point range while shooting 85 percent on his free throws. 

Both Green and Ulis can make three-pointers at a solid clip while also attacking and knocking in pull-up jumpers and floaters off the bounce. They're both good shooting it off the catch as well. 

Running an offense and dishing out assists is more of Green's focus, but he's capable of putting in points when he needs to.

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Passing 

One of the attractive things about Green as a prospect is his ability to distribute the ball for easy buckets. During the spring and summer, Green averaged 9.8 assists per game which led the Nike EYBL by a few assists a game.

That means he was getting a lot of easy shots, dunks and layups for his teammates, and it's part of the reason why the PSA Cardinals played for the championship at the Peach Jam.

Capable of firing entry feeds, lobs or bounce passes, Green can thread the needle and do a lot of damage if he's able to get some space on the dribble. Green is adept at changing paces with the dribble and running the offense to his needs.

The high number of assists and smaller size again leads to a comparison with Ulis, a point guard who preferred to distribute to others rather than score on his own. Since Green is happy with getting shots for his teammates—something he can do at Kentucky with so many talented teammates—he could put up a ton of assists with regular playing time.

Defense

Things become interesting for Green defensively since he puts up good steal numbers at the high school level. In the 22 games Green played in the Nike EYBL, he averaged 3.2 steals per game, so he has quick hands and does a nice job of playing in the passing lanes.

But Green is also prone to inconsistent defensive stretches where he has mental lapses. If he remains consistent on the defensive end, then he can get up in his matchup and stay in front of his opponent. Green's length isn't great for a pro prospect, but at 6'1" it will serve him fine at the college level.

Again, since Green is undersized with quick hands, he compares best to Ulis among Calipari point guards. Ulis was more tenacious guarding perimeter players away from the basket, but Green is a little bit bigger, which should help him.

Final Analysis

While Green compares most favorably to Ulis in most categories, they are still very different players, and that must be taken into account. One thing that is going to be interesting with Green is how he plays with Kentucky's other guards.

Ulis fit in seamlessly with two unique teams at Kentucky as he was able to share backcourt responsibilities with the Harrisons and Devin Booker on one team, and Isaiah Briscoe and Jamal Murray the next year.

Green is going to have to likely stay multiple years at Kentucky before going pro since his size isn't great for the NBA level and he isn't an elite athlete. That means playing with a lot of different perimeter options and potential one-and-done players.

Guard Shai Alexander-Gilgeous is also in Kentucky's Class of 2017, so Green will have to play with him as a starting point. The Wildcats could recruit more perimeter players in the Class of 2017, and other players from the previous roster could also stay and play with the incoming freshman.

What made Ulis special was his ability to play in any lineup and make everyone else around him better. We'll have to see if Green has these same abilities because he has a lot of the same tools to work with.