Gabriel's tenacity, length could help Cats on the glass and defensively

Wenyen Gabriel won't be expected to score as much as some of UK's other freshmen but he could make a big impact nonetheless.

Wenyen Gabriel was a five-star recruit, as so many others in John Calipari's long line of recruiting successes, but he didn't arrive with quite the same level of first-year expectations that some others have come with. At least according to some.

Gabriel is widely expected to make an impact for Kentucky this year. But how much of an impact? That remains to be seen and has been a topic of conversation in the preseason.

Those who spoke on Thursday seemed high on Gabriel, a long and athletic forward, and seemed to describe a player who could affect the game with his athleticism, wing span and motor.

"Wenyen is a stretch (four) or a three," Calipari said when he touched on Gabriel.

Calipari compared Gabriel to Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, both in terms of the way he has been driven and in terms, perhaps, of his playing style and role on the team.

"You're talking about a 6'10", inside, outside, stretch four-three, good with the ball, but only touched where he's going to be," Calipari said.

Fellow freshman forward Sacha Killeya-Jones was asked about the toughest player he's had to defend so far. He said everybody presents a different matchup, pointing to Derek Willis' deep range and Tai Wynyard's physicality.

"With Wenyen (Gabriel), he’s going to offensive rebound every time," Killeya-Jones said.

Gabriel's length and motor are assets that could help make him a force on the offensive glass when he's in the game.

Kentucky ranked No. 40 in the country in offensive rebounds per game (12.83) during the 2015-16 season. This is a completely different Kentucky team, of course. Marcus Lee is no longer with the program and he was one of the driving forces behind UK's success on the offensive glass, when they had it.

Gabriel could be a player that helps the Cats again rank near the top of the national charts in that category. If he finds the floor with a lineup that includes both Isaac Humphries and Bam Adebayo, or even just one of the two as may be more common, that could pose major problems for opponents helping to mop up the glass. At least Calipari would hope so.

Offensive rebounders are active players, never resting and combining good court awareness with quickness off the floor, tenacity in attacking the ball and strong hands in pulling it down.

That tenacity seems to be a strength for Gabriel in the early part of preseason preparation, not only on the glass but also on defense.

"Wenyen’s just active all the time," Malik Monk said, specifically referring to Gabriel's guarding ability.

As a stretch forward for Wilbraham and Monson Academy last year those assets were on full display as Gabriel routinely posted double-doubles and was a constant triple-double threat, with that length and tenacity helping him to erase plenty of shots.

He won't have to carry as much of a load for Kentucky this year, but based on the early returns, the praise of Calipari and his teammates, Gabriel could make a bigger impact than many expect.