KSR's top takeaways from Kentucky MBB's 2023 Pro Day
Kentucky men’s basketball hosted the program’s annual Pro Day event on Wednesday night at Rupp Arena. With upwards of 50 NBA scouts and personnel spread across all 30 franchises (including former Kentucky player Tayshaun Prince, who is the Vice President of Basketball Affairs for the Memphis Grizzlies) lining the outskirts of the Rupp Arena floor, plus live feeds from ESPN and SEC Network+, all eyes were on the 2023-24 edition of John Calipari’s Wildcats.
KSR’s Jack Pilgrim and Zack Geoghegan were in attendance to soak in the action, which lasted about 90 minutes and featured some light warm-ups, transition drills, halfcourt 2-on-2, and fullcourt 4-on-4. While most of the night was unfortunately focused on injury updates (which we’ll get to in a moment), there was plenty of actual basketball going on on the hardwood. Players were engaged and competitive. Although Calipari might have frustrated some of the NBA folks with his constant stoppages near the end, it was a great opportunity for this group of Wildcats to showcase their skills.
Big Blue Madness is only a couple of days away now. Basketball season is almost officially upon us. Let’s dive into our top takeaways from Wednesday’s Pro Day.
Injury updates steal the headlines
It took a while to decipher exactly what Calipari (and ESPN analyst Seth Greenberg for that matter, who was providing live hits on SportsCenter from Rupp Arena) was trying to say when talking about the injury status of Kentucky’s two seven-footers, sophomore Ugonna Onyenso and freshman Aaron Bradshaw. And truthfully, we still don’t know of any concrete date for their returns, but Calipari at least gave us a timeline to work with.
“We’ve got all these big guys out. We’re playing more 4-on-4 tonight,” Calipari said on ESPN. “We have three seven-footers. One (Zvonimir Ivisic) should be here on campus tomorrow. We have the two with the foot injuries who are out another 5-6 weeks.”
If we go off the 5-6 week timeline, that would put their returns somewhere around mid-to-late-November. Kentucky’s first big matchup of the season is scheduled for Nov. 14 against Kansas in the Champions Classic. Both Onyenso and Bradshaw would likely miss that game if Calipari’s timeframe for a return holds firm. It could also prevent them from playing in the ACC/SEC Challenge a couple of weeks later on Nov. 28 against Miami (FL).
We should also keep in mind that, near the end of the SEC Network+ broadcast, Calipari slipped in the possibility of Onyenso and Bradshaw returning as far as seven weeks down the road, possibly dipping into December. Considering Ivisic won’t arrive on campus until Thursday and will need plenty of time to ramp up, the Wildcats’ frontcourt depth could be a serious issue early in the season. 6-foot-9 Tre Mitchell is currently the team’s tallest active player. If we’re looking for a positive, both Onyenso and Bradshaw were walking around Pro Day without any boots, although they obviously did not play.
The injury news didn’t stop there though. Just a few minutes into Pro Day drills, sophomore guard Adou Thiero landed awkwardly on his ankle and limped his way off the floor. He didn’t appear to be in serious pain but still went to the locker room and did not return. Ideally, Kentucky elected to keep Thiero from coming back for precautionary reasons. We’ll find out for sure how severe it is on Friday if he participates in Big Blue Madness.
— Zack Geoghegan
Justin Edwards shows out for the scouts
Go look at any 2024 NBA mock draft article and Justin Edwards will be among the first names you see on every single one. He’s nearly a consensus choice to end up as a lottery pick with some outlets even tabbing him as the possible No. 1 overall selection. The 6-foot-7 freshman is the exact prototype that NBA front offices crave — a long, athletic wing who can play both ends of the floor. He was a five-star recruit for a very good reason.
Edwards likely knows about that lottery talk, too. With that in mind, he used Pro Day as a sneak peek for scouts to see what he looks like at this stage in his development. Edwards was ultra-aggressive when it came to attacking the rim in 2-on-2s and 4-on-4s. He bullied his way through defenders on offense and showcased his length on the defensive end. His outside shot stood out at times, too.
Edwards is going to have plenty of NBA eyes on him all season long. Wednesday night was the perfect opportunity to keep his buzz growing heading into the regular season.
— Zack Geoghegan
Rob Dillingham adds weight, keeps the shifts
The five-star freshman didn’t like how he felt in the GLOBL JAM. Coming in at 160 pounds during summer move-in, he was unable to get to his spots and get shots off with ease the way he did in high school. His response? Add 24 pounds to handle the bumps and physicality while maintaining the quickness that makes him a special talent.
Kentucky strength & conditioning coach Brady Welsh confirmed the impressive weight gain during the television broadcast, even more noticeable in person. Dillingham fought through contact and finished well around the basket while also creating and making open jumpers. The comfort was there where it wasn’t in Toronto.
The entertainment value was always going to be there with Dillingham — that’s what he does. He’s a flashy ball-handler and passer, the king of ‘no, no, YES!’ shots. But could he adjust physically? Could he defend tough, strong backcourt threats in the SEC? Would the efficiency and ball security be there? Those were the questions when he signed with Kentucky out of high school and they didn’t necessarily get answered at the GLOBL JAM.
They were at Pro Day.
— Jack Pilgrim
Joey Hart picks up where Adou Thiero left off
Thiero went down early with a rolled ankle, ending his night before it really got started. With the sophomore forward out, freshman guard Joey Hart was thrown in as the next man up and made the most of his time on the floor. Calipari went out of his way to single him out to close out the event.
“He made every shot,” he said. “There were scouts asking, ‘Who is 20?!'”
Kentucky’s lowest-ranked recruit stepped in and shot the cover off the ball on both wide-open and contested looks. Defense remains a work in progress, but Hart was brought in to make shots when his number is called, and he did just that.
— Jack Pilgrim
Your time to shine, Jordan Burks
Like Hart, fellow freshman Jordan Burks is in a similar boat, just as we saw in Toronto. Kentucky is down three key frontcourt pieces and the tallest player on the roster right now is Tre Mitchell. Until Bradshaw and Onyenso are back and Ivisic gets on the practice floor, Burks is the team’s lone backup in the frontcourt.
And like Hart, he managed to step up under the bright Rupp Arena lights in front of 52 NBA scouts and front-office personnel.
Burks was the perfect dump-off guy when the guards found paint touches, finishing a number of dunks and clean-up efforts inside. He rebounded well and defended hard as a do-it-all forward taking on a bigger role than he signed up for when he joined the program this offseason.
How much will he have to play to open the regular season and what kind of impact can he make? He led Overtime Elite in scoring as a senior, so it’s obvious the kid can play. Kentucky will lean on him to recreate some of that magic, at least early. The early returns are positive.
— Jack Pilgrim
No need for updates on Wagner, Reeves and Sheppard
Isn’t it wild how quiet things have been regarding DJ Wagner, Antonio Reeves and Reed Sheppard this preseason? Whispers of Dillingham bulking up and turning the corner, Thiero looking the part physically and flying around the floor, Tre Mitchell a seamless fit with tremendous feel and basketball IQ — the perfect stretch big. Even Burks has gotten some fresh buzz in recent weeks.
Don’t take the lack of updates on that backcourt trio as a concern, though. In fact, it’s the exact opposite. The reason so little has been said about Wagner, Reeves and Sheppard is due to the fact that you know exactly what to expect with those guys. They’re good. Really good. Wagner is an alpha who gets paint touches and finishes around the rim. Reeves is a sniper. Sheppard makes smart decisions, defends well and hits shots.
There aren’t many ebbs and flows there, only Steady Eddies.
— Jack Pilgrim
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