CJ Fredrick explains 'load management' day, how he's handled return to court

Big Blue Nation might have noticed that there was a notable perimeter presence missing from the lineup Sunday morning. 3-point threat CJ Fredrick joined the SEC Network’s commentary booth to discuss why he’s missing the final exhibition in Kentucky‘s four-game Bahamas trip.

“The training staffs been super cautious with me, I only started practicing like two or three weeks ago,” Fredrick said. “So they’re just being cautious and that was the whole plan coming in, I wasn’t going to play the last day.

“The next couple of months of practice are going to be big for me,” Fredrick said. “Competing more five-on-five getting up and down [the court] shooting the basketball with defenders coming at me and being able to read in-game situations. That’s going to be the next step.”

Fredrick sat out all of last season for the Wildcats due to injury to his leg, and has been on a minutes restriction during Kentucky’s first three exhibitions of a four-game stretch down at the Baha Mar Resort.

Now, without Fredrick, the Wildcats are struggling and are currently trailing the Bahamas’ national team late in the first half. Tune into the SEC Network or ESPN+ to catch the remainder of the game as Kentucky looks to head back to Lexington unblemished.

Former Kentucky star Willie Cauley-Stein agrees to one-year deal with Houston Rockets

Former Kentucky star Willie Cauley-Stein has agreed to a one-year deal with the Houston Rockets on Friday afternoon, per Shams Charania of The Athletic. A few months ago, Cauley-Stein was waived by the Philadelphia 76ers.

The terms of his deal with the Houston Rockets were not immediately disclosed, but he will compete for a roster spot in training camp, per Shams Charania. During his college basketball career with the Kentucky Wildcats, he established himself as one of the nation’s elite defenders, landing on the SEC All-Defensive team in 2014 and 2015. He also earned SEC Defensive Player of the Year honors in 2015. During the 2013-2014 season, Cauley-Stein averaged 6.8 points, 6.1 rebounds, and 2.9 blocks per game. The 106 blocks he recorded that season ranks as the second-most in Kentucky basketball history.

He’s bounced around to a number of teams in the NBA, including the Sacramento Kings, Golden State Warriors, Dallas Mavericks, Philadelphia 76ers, and now the Houston Rockets. He played in limited action last season with the 76ers and the Mavericks. His best two seasons came with the Sacramento Kings, the team that originally drafted him in the first round of the 2015 NBA Draft (No. 6 overall selection). Cauley-Stein averaged 12.3 points, 7.7 rebounds, 2.4 assists, 1.1 steals, and 0.8 blocks in 27.6 minutes per game.

Coming out of Olathe Northwest High School (Olathe, Kansas), he was one of the highest rated basketball prospects in America. As a junior, he averaged 15.8 points and 8.5 rebounds per game. The seven-footer was also a dynamic receiver for their football team, hauling in 57 catches for 1,140 receiving yards and 14 touchdowns through nine games in 2011. According to the On3 Consensus Rankings for the 2012 cycle, Cauley-Stein was rated as a four-star prospect and the No. 46 overall player in America. When he chose Kentucky, he picked them over offers from Alabama, Florida, Kansas State, and many others.