KSR Today: Sharpe, Washington and Mintz are pros, Dillingham and Buzelis commit
There are three new former Kentucky players in the NBA, with Shaedon Sharpe and TyTy Washington both hearing their names called on draft night, followed by Davion Mintz signing with a team as an undrafted free agent.
Despite much uncertainty regarding Sharpe’s draft stock, the Portland Trail Blazers took a swing on the 6-foot-5 guard with the No. 7 overall pick, the program’s first top-ten pick since 2018 (Kevin Knox) and the highest selection since De’Aaron Fox (No. 5) in 2017. He was just the second guard taken, with Purdue’s Jaden Ivey being the lone selection in front of him at No. 5 overall to the Detroit Pistons.
Watch Sharpe walk across the stage and shake NBA commissioner Adam Silver’s hand on draft night:
As for Washington, the 6-foot-3 guard came off the board at No. 29 overall to the Houston Rockets. He becomes John Calipari’s 45th draft pick during his time at Kentucky.
Washington joins fellow SEC stars Jabari Smith and Tari Eason as first-round picks for Houston.
Check out the former Wildcat hear his name called on the big stage:
And another angle:
It’s the 13th straight year Kentucky has had at least one first-round draft pick, the longest active streak since 1989 when the NBA Draft added a second round.
Shortly after the draft went final, Mintz agreed to an Exhibit 10 contract with the Washington Wizards.
An Exhibit 10 contract is a one-year, minimum salary NBA contract that provides flexibility for the team signing the player. Teams can convert a player’s one-year, minimum contract into a two-way contract before the start of the season. With an Exhibit 10 attachment, players can earn a bonus up to $50,000 in the event they are waived by the team and sign with its G League affiliate for 60 days.
It’s a professional start for the former Wildcat, who averaged 8.5 points, 2.2 rebounds and 1.8 assists per contest in 2021-22.
Rob Dillingham will announce college decision today
One day after three former Kentucky players heard their names called on draft night, the program could be adding a future Wildcat in five-star guard Robert Dillingham.
Dillingham, a 6-foot-2 point guard out of Charlotte, NC, will announce his college decision Friday evening, with Kentucky seen as the overwhelming favorite coming down the home stretch of his recruitment. The Donda Academy standout, who is now ranked No. 3 overall in On3’s player rankings, will choose between Auburn, Kentucky, Louisville and USC.
All signs are pointing to Kentucky as the ultimate destination for Dillingham, who is widely seen as one of the top point guard prospects in the nation. On3’s Recruiting Prediction Machine gives the Wildcats an 80.8% chance to land Dillingham, with 247Sports recruiting analyst Travis Branham — who boasts an all-time Crystal Ball hit percentage of 93.55% — telling KSR that Kentucky is the overwhelming favorite leading up to his commitment.
“Kentucky, they missed out on him the first time,” he said. “Chin Coleman, the minute (Rob) decommitted from NC State, he told him, ‘I’m not going to be missing out on you this time.’ I think Chin Coleman is going to land one of the most dynamic scorers and shot makers in the entire country. … I’m very, very confident in that one, that Kentucky will land Robert Dillingham.”
What could the Wildcats be landing in Dillingham? A player wanting to be a top player in all of college basketball.
“I definitely see myself being a top player in college, definitely getting deep in March Madness, that’s my goal,” Dillingham told KSR. “I feel like I already know I’m going to get drafted because I’m going to put in the work — I promise. It’s really just the accolades that come with going to a school, winning improves your draft stock.”
We’ll find out for certain at 7 p.m. ET when Dillingham makes his announcement.
Matas Buzelis will also make a final decision
It won’t just be Robert Dillingham making an announcement today among Kentucky basketball targets. Five-star wing Matas Buzelis is also set to announce his commitment, with the 6-foot-10 playmaker choosing between Kentucky, Florida State, Wake Forest, UNC, and the G-League. Will the Wildcats get two additions on Friday? Unlikely, as Buzelis is expected to turn pro and sign with the G-League.
On3’s Jamie Shaw reported this week that Buzelis had turned his attention to Florida State, North Carolina and the G-League down the stretch, with the professional route emerging as the top option for the top-10 prospect. Buzelis will make his decision official Friday afternoon.
Where does Kentucky go from here? Justin Edwards, Ron Holland and Andrej Stojakovic are possible wing options, with Ian Jackson also a potential reclassification candidate in the class of 2024.
Four-star guard Reed Sheppard is the program’s lone commitment in 2023, at least as of this morning. The North Laurel standout told KSR this past weekend he’s putting on his recruiting hat for other top players in his class.
“I kinda just text like Aaron (Bradshaw), DJ (Wagner), Robert (Dillingham), Matas (Buzelis), Ron Holland, a couple of those guys, kinda everybody,” Sheppard said. “KJ (Evans), everybody that they’ve reached out to, just trying to get a little leverage on them. But just having fun with it also, just texting them. …(The Kentucky coaches have) been getting on to me about it. They want me to reach out and try to connect with them. … They’re all for it.”
Daimion Collins, Chris Livingston speak to the media
We’ve talked about past Wildcats and potential future Wildcats, but how about the current team?
The Kentucky basketball team will host a media opportunity with sophomore Daimion Collins and freshman Chris Livingston at 2:30 p.m. ET this afternoon. Collins appeared in 27 games as a freshman in 2021-22 and shot 57.7% from the field and 85.7% from the free-throw line. Livingston is a top-10 player in the 2022 class and was the Gatorade Virginia Player of the Year after averaging 18.2 points and 9.1 rebounds per game at Oak Hill Academy. It will be the first time we hear from the standout freshman during his short time in Lexington thus far.
KSR will have coverage on the website throughout the afternoon and into the weekend.
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