Kentucky Basketball: Grading the Team's Performance in the Maui Invitational
The Kentucky Wildcats got a preview of what the SEC and NCAA tournaments will be like, as they played in this year's Maui Invitational.
The Cats defeated Oklahoma and Washington, but ran into a wall when they were forced to face Kemba Walker and the Connecticut Huskies in the championship game.
A lot of positives and negatives can be taken away from the team's trip to Hawaii. So, instead of making sweeping generalizations, we'll grade each individuals performance and see what will need to be improved for Kentucky to remain competitive this season.
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Brandon Knight
1 of 7
v. Oklahoma: 13 points, 2 rebounds, 3 assists, 5 turnovers, 27% field goal
v. Washington: 24 points, 4 rebounds, 0 assists, 8 turnovers, 59% field goal
v. Connecticut: 6 points, 2 rebounds, 5 assists, 5 turnovers, 20% field goal
Brandon Knight was, by far, the most disappointing player in the Maui Invitational. We knew coming into the tournament that Knight was a score-first point guard, so not many expected him to struggle so mightily in the scoring department.
With the exception of the Washington game, Knight shot a measly 23.5 percent from the field. Not only was he prone to force up shots, but he also struggled to knock down wide-open shots with any consistency. His free throws didn't look any better, as he shot just 50 percent from behind the line throughout the course of the tournament.
Yet, even when he was able to find his shot, Knight had a habit of trying to do too much and turning the ball over. For instance, when he scored 24 points against Washington, he also had eight turnovers and zero assists. That ratio is simply unacceptable for any point guard. If Kentucky's offense is going to have any fluidity, Knight will have to learn to not only look for his shot, but also for his teammates.
Grade: C-
Darius Miller
2 of 7
v. Oklahoma: 5 points, 5 rebounds, 0 assists, 0 turnovers, 40% field goal
v. Washington: 8 points, 3 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 turnover, 40% field goal
v. Connecticut: 15 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists, 0 turnovers, 43% field goal
It is apparent that Darius Miller has grown comfortable in his niche as a role player.
The biggest positive that can be said for him was that he did not hurt the team. He shot 40 percent or higher from the field in all three games and had only one turnover during this span.
The lack of turnovers is amazing, but Darius is going to have to get more involved on offense if Kentucky wants to remain competitive. Being just a role player may have worked on last year's squad, but with this year's lack of depth and experience, Darius needs to be able to take charge and find his own shot.
Grade: B+
DeAndre Liggins
3 of 7
v. Oklahoma: 12 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists, 1 turnover, 3 steals, 56% field goal
v. Washington: 7 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 turnover, 3 steals, 29% field goal
v. Connecticut: 8 points, 3 rebounds, 1 assist, 4 turnovers, 1 steal, 30% field goal
Although his stats may not reflect it, DeAndre may have been Kentucky's most effective player throughout the course of the tournament.
Every time DeAndre got the ball, he seemed to be able to penetrate the defense and get to the basket, leading to a foul, a basket, or a kick-out to the perimeter. Also, with the exception of the Connecticut game, he was able to make good passes and minimize turnovers.
DeAndre also proved himself to be very disruptive on defense, racking up seven steals over three games. It was clear that he was also Kentucky's best on-ball defender, as he was able to frustrate opposing teams' best scorers.
The exception to this, of course, being Kemba Walker, but it's unclear if anyone could have stopped him in Hawaii.
Grade: B
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Terrence Jones
4 of 7
v. Oklahoma: 29 points, 13 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 turnovers, 4 blocks, 71% field goal
v. Washington: 16 points, 17 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 turnovers, 4 blocks, 31% field goal
v. Connecticut: 24 points, 4 rebounds, 1 assist, 0 turnovers, 2 blocks, 55% field goal
Had it not been for Kemba Walker, Terrence Jones would have easily been the MVP of the Maui Invitational.
Jones excelled both offensively and defensively throughout the tournament.
Jones was Kentucky's leading scorer and seemed to be able to score at will. He could drive to the basket and pick up a three-point play, or do it the conventional way behind the arc.
Coming into the tournament, many questioned his ability to get physical and play down low as he sometimes seemed to prefer floating around the three-point line. These concerns were easily alleviated as Jones averaged over 10 rebounds and three blocks per game.
Grade: A+
Josh Harrellson
5 of 7
v. Oklahoma: 2 points, 3 rebounds, 0 assists, 0 turnovers, 0 blocks, 33% field goal
v. Washington: 9 points, 14 rebounds, 1 assist, 2 turnovers, 2 blocks, 67% field goal
v. Connecticut: 0 points, 6 rebounds, 0 assists, 0 turnovers, 2 blocks, 0% field goal (0-1)
Josh Harrellson struggled in the first game against Oklahoma, before finally finding his niche against Washington and Connecticut.
Harrellson didn't put up a lot of points, but he also didn't miss a lot of shots. He was unable to create his own shots, but was usually able to capitalize on open shots under the basket and put-backs. He displayed the ability to knock down an open three against Washington.
Harrellson also flashed the ability to be an effective rebounder, racking up 20 rebounds over the last two games. In fact, his seven offensive rebounds against Washington may have been the difference in the game.
Defensively, he struggled to guard quicker players and often found himself out of position, leading to easy baskets for the other team. Yet, he did provide a presence under the basket, accumulating four blocks over the last two games.
Harrellson will never be an elite scorer, but for Kentucky to succeed, he must be able to rebound and play sound defense. Unfortunately, we saw only one of these things in Maui.
Grade: C+
Doron Lamb
6 of 7
v. Oklahoma: 12 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 turnovers, 1 steal, 50% field goal
v. Washington: 6 points, 1 rebound, 1 assist, 1 turnover, 1 block, 20% field goal
v. Connecticut: 5 points, 0 rebounds, 0 assists, 2 turnovers, 0 steals, 40% field goal
Doron Lamb established himself as Kentucky's sixth man in Maui. Unfortunately, he didn't provide the explosiveness that many had hoped.
He had a good game coming off the bench against Oklahoma, putting up 12 points while shooting 50 percent from the field. Yet, he was largely a non-factor in the games against Washington and Connecticut.
He flashed the ability to shoot from beyond the arc, but had a hard time getting open.
Additionally, the offense was largely stagnant when Lamb was plugged in at point guard with Knight on the bench. The biggest issue here seems to be experience.
Lamb should eventually develop into a reliable option, but he isn't quite ready yet.
Grade: C
Eloy Vargas
7 of 7
v. Oklahoma: 2 points, 4 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 turnover, 0 blocks, 100% field goal
v. Washington: 4 points, 1 rebound, 0 assists, 0 turnovers, 0 blocks, 100% field goal
v. Connecticut: 6 points, 6 rebounds, 0 assists, 0 turnovers, 2 blocks, 50 % field goal
Vargas didn't play many minutes in Maui, but when he was in the game he was actually pretty effective. He missed only shot throughout the entire tournament. He also provided some valuable size and rebounding to match some of the bigger guys in the tournament.
Given his limited minutes, it's tough to expect much more out of Vargas. He did flash some post skills, which Josh Harrellson is certainly lacking.
If Vargas can be more aggressive on offense, he may able to earn some additional playing time.
Grade: B-
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