Illinois State transfer Antonio Reeves probably didn't get as much attention for most of the early part of this offseason as you would think.

Kentucky brought back the National Player of the Year, one of the leading assist men in college basketball, CJ Fredrick, Daimion Collins, and Jacob Toppin, pairing that returning experience with two of the toughest freshmen in the country.

Reeves averaged 20 points per game for Illinois State last year and has been rapidly improving each year he has been in college, to the point where John Calipari wanted him to be a part of the Kentucky basketball program.

In the Bahamas, Calipari's affinity for Reeves did not appear misguided.

Game 1

Reeves did not waste any time. In UK's first exhibition game he played 18:55, so less than the starters but as much as Chris Livingston. He only attempted six shots but five of them were behind the arc and he knocked down four. Reeves was 4/5 from long range while the rest of Kentucky's team was 7/21. He gave the Cats their outside punch in a blowout.

Game 2

Reeves played even less (16:05) in Kentucky's second game and wasn't feeling it nearly as much. He was 3/10 FG (1/5 3-pointers) but there were some encouraging signs in that game. Whereas Reeves did little to contribute to the stat sheet beyond outside shooting in Game 1, he chipped in with six rebounds and two assists here, though he did turn it over three times.

Game 3

Reeves played more than half the game (21:01) and as much as most other Wildcats in the third game, after a day off, and he was again electric. Reeves was Kentucky's second leading scorer (23) behind only Jacob Toppin (27), hitting on 8 of 12 field goal attempts including 5/8 from three-point range. A big story in this blowout win against Carleton was Kentucky shooting 15/30 from outside and that was mostly Reeves and Toppin. He chipped in with three rebounds and two assists.

Game 4

Reeves followed up his highest scoring game in the Bahamas with a strong encore against the Dominican Select team. Reeves led Kentucky in scoring with 22 points on 7/14 FG and 4/9 3-point attempts, again going 4/4 from the charity stripe. He had four rebounds, an assist and two turnovers.

TAKEAWAYS

Reeves proved himself to be an excellent outside shooter in the Bahamas. We don't know what number he will shoot for Kentucky during the 22-23 season but he was 39% for Illinois State last year, which was far and away better than the 30% he was at as a freshman and sophomore. What we saw in the Bahamas seems to indicate his shot has turned the corner and isn't likely to go back to that "work in progress" it was before.

Kentucky had Kellan Grady as its three point marksman last season. He was an excellent and pure, natural shooter but seemed reluctant to hunt for his shot at times, could be taken out of the game at other moments, and struggled down the stretch after his injury. Because he has a quicker trigger than Grady it's possible Kentucky could get more this year from Reeves.

Is it possible Reeves could be a starter, or a sparkplug off the bench? He isn't the two-way player or probably the stat sheet stuffer that Cason Wallace is. UK also has many options with its lineups and that will cut into some of Reeves' potential playing time. But if he shoots like that and provides that kind of scoring punch Reeves could easily get 20 minutes or more on a regular basis. What Reeves showed in the Bahamas might have been enough to prompt us to wonder how much playing time Fredrick will be in line for this season.

The fact that Reeves could have two seasons remaining makes him a very interesting player going into a promising season. Don't be surprised if he makes an impact that's outsized compared to the amount of focus he's gotten this offseason.