Kentucky is set to have a new-look backcourt next season after landing the commitments of Alex Wilkins and Zoom Diallo. Both players are coming off strong seasons, but their arrivals to Kentucky have left many wondering how they will fit in together for the Wildcats.
Mark Pope is overhauling Kentucky’s roster after a disappointing 22-14 season that saw the Wildcats exit the NCAA Tournament in the second round despite spending a reported $22 million.
Alex Wilkins, Zoom Diallo Commitments Raise Major Questions About Kentucky
Wilkins will join Kentucky after a breakthrough freshman year at Furman, during which he averaged 17.8 points, 4.7 assists, 2.0 rebounds, and 0.8 steals per game. College basketball insider Jeff Goodman is a big fan of Wilkins, but expressed some concern over how the new-look Kentucky backcourt will work on “Field of 68: After Dark.”
“Athletic, can get to the basket, electric player, fun to watch. That’s the positive. His numbers were really good. But the part that worries me a little bit is the fit with Zoom Diallo,” Goodman explained.
“They’re both athletic guards who can really push it. They’re great in transition. Neither are great shooters… But Alex has great size. He’s just got to take care of the ball, make better decisions, value the ball, shoot the three with a little bit more consistency. But again, they’re both talented, Wilkins is uber talented.”
Fellow college basketball analyst Rob Dauster then chimed in with another concern over Pope’s roster in today’s college basketball, which makes it difficult for most teams to add players who are suited to a particular system.
“My single biggest concern with Mark Pope and the transfer portal era is that unless you are at the level of UConn, Florida, or Houston, it’s very difficult to add portal pieces to fit into a specific system and specific way of playing,” he said.
Dauster also questioned whether Pope will be able to fit both guards into his system and get the best out of them.
“You have to be adaptable to what you have on the roster, and we have not yet seen if Mark Pope is adaptable at that level to what he has on the roster,” Dauster added. “Having two really good players that you need to fit together is a good problem to have. But it’s still going to be a problem because the puzzle pieces don’t connect perfectly. We still have to see what else they put together.”
Wilkins was one of Furman’s standout players last season and helped the Paladins win the Southern Conference. He was named the Southern Conference Tournament MVP and will now hope to make a similar impact for Kentucky in the SEC.
Meanwhile, Diallo averaged 15.7 points, 3.9 rebounds, and 4.5 assists per game for the Washington Huskies in his sophomore year.
