Hello from a layover in St. Louis, a good place to leave West Virginia in the rear-view mirror and look forward to Kentucky.
Every “he plays a little like” mention in basketball leads to a discussion centering more on the players’ differences than similarities because one player inevitably is quicker, thicker or more skilled in at least one area than is the other player.
Still, it was nice to hear ESPN analyst Seth Greenberg mention on a recent conference call play-alikes for Kentucky’s three star freshmen — point guard De’Aaron Fox, shooting guard Malik Monk and power forward Bam Adebayo — when asked about their NBA potential.
Fox is averaging 16.2 points, 4.6 rebounds, 5.9 assists and 1.6 steals.
“Fox is a guy who’s just so explosive in the open floor,” Greenberg said. “I want to say John Wall or whoever.”
Monk is averaging 21.9 points, shooting .399 from 3-point range and scored 47 in a 103-100 victory over North Carolina.
Greenberg called Monk “kind of a poor man’s Russell Westbrook.”
Adebayo, 6-foot-10, 260 pounds, is averaging 13.5 points, 6.9 rebounds and 1.7 blocked shots.
“Bam has a specialty,” Greenberg said. “In the NBA game, he’s going to be able to rebound. His physicality will not be a detriment like it is at times in college. . . . I think Bam could end up being a Charles Oakley-type player.”
During the same teleconference, Dick Vitale offer his opinions on the three potential lottery picks. Fox and Monk are sure lottery picks, Adebayo a maybe.
“I’m a big fan of both the kids, obviously, Fox and Monk,” Vitale said. “I think you talk about Fox at the point guard, he’s just got to work on his range as a shooter and become more consistent. In transition he’s dynamite. I think he’s got incredible potential in terms of his defensive ability with the long arms, the size he brings to the point guard. So I really like him. But I love Monk.”
Vitale was on the call when Monk went off for 47 points. Even though Monk made 8 of 12 3-pointers in that game, Vitale thinks of him first as a great scorer, rather than as a pure shooter.
“The 47-point game to me was, without a doubt in my 38 years at ESPN, the best performance ever, ever for me, by a freshman in a major game,” Vitale said. “Scoring 47 points when your team needed every one to win, away on a neutral court, national television, and to make every big shot was so special.
“He’s got to be a little more consistent. I think right after that game, I may be wrong, but I believe he came back about 1 for 9 (accurate) against Louisville shooting the 3.”
Vitale called Adebayo, “absolutely strong, physical, tough. I don’t think we’ve seen really anywhere near how good he’s going to be. To me, and I’ve talked to John Calipari about it, I don’t believe he gets enough touches around the basket. I think he’s got to get the ball more inside. He’s got good drop-step moves.”
The less he gets it on the block against Kansas, the better for the Jayhawks.
In November in the Champions Classic, Kentucky defeated Michigan State on the same Madison Square Garden floor before Kansas edged then-No. 1 Duke. One quote from Kentucky coach John Calipari’s press conference that night echoes two-plus months later: “I told John Wall (Fox is) faster than John Wall. John Wall didn’t believe it. After (watching him), he said, ‘Your’e right.’ “
That’s fast.
Another Calipari post-game quote than night regarding Fox: “He told me, ‘Coach, I’m a shooter.’ I said, ‘You’re a shooter, you’re just not a maker.’ “
Fox is shooting .179 from 3.
Despite that stat, even with lottery-bound freshman Josh Jackson playing for Kansas, there is no disputing Kentucky will put more talent on its home floor Saturday than Kansas, which will have the experience advantage.
Both No. 2 Kansas and No. 4 Kentucky are coming off of losses and will be playing without the urgency of a conference race, which could translate to weaker defense, and without the pressure of a conference game, which could result in freer minds on offense. First team to 100 wins?
