Last week Kentucky's National Player of the Year announced his return on SportsCenter.
On Sunday, point guard Sahvir Wheeler made it two weeks in a row for good news, with the Georgia transfer, who finished third in the nation in assists per game, announced he will be returning for another year at Kentucky as well.
Here are takes from Cats Illustrated members on what that means for UK next year.
Travis Graf: I’ll be quite honest in that I was back and forth on if I thought it was best that Wheeler returned for a second season in Lexington. His highs were high and his lows were low, but the more I thought about it, the more I was on board with him coming back. When the offense is clicking, there’s not a more realistic, efficient distributor in the country who can get out on the break and get guys involved like he can. I believe having a healthy CJ Fredrick will help Wheeler as much as anyone, because there were times last year when Kellan Grady was the only floor spacer in the offense. If you add a transfer or two who are good shooter in addition to Fredrick, Wheeler is going to have much more space to operate in.
David Sisk: Sahvir Wheeler is an interesting case study. A lot of Kentucky fans are glad to see him back, but there are naysayers as well. He is going to bring offensive and defensive aggression as well as lots of assists in an up-tempo setting. On the flip side there are also going to be some turnovers and not a lot of made outside shots. It’s sort of reminiscent of Ashton Hagans. In my opinion the good definitely outweighs the bad. He brings proven experience, and he could lead a roster that could have a nasty defensive disposition. His return could also modify the expectations somewhat of Cason Wallace coming in as a ball handler. Coming on the heels of Oscar Tshiebwe’s announcement, the Cats certainly have gotten off to a good start when it comes to putting a strong lineup on the floor next season.
Jeff Drummond: Count me among the legion of UK basketball followers who have wanted to see more veteran experience on the floor for the Cats in recent years, so this is nothing but good news from my perspective. Wheeler had his ups and downs during his first season in Lexington, but when he was healthy, he was really good. A lot of focus gets put on whether you can contend for a championship at his size, but I think that's overrated at the college level. Prior to his concussion at LSU, he was one of the best on-ball defenders in the college game. If he can knock down a couple of open jumpers each game to complement his drives to the basket while cutting down on the unforced turnovers a bit, he can put UK back in contention for a national title. What you put around him is the most important part of the equation, and Oscar Tshiebwe coming back goes a long way toward giving Wheeler a really strong foundation.
Justin Rowland: It's a big deal. For much of the season Wheeler was one of the nation's best point guards. He has a unique ability to beat guys off the dribble even when you know he's going left. With Wheeler at point you know guys are going to get high percentage open looks against most opponents. He gives Kentucky the ability to play at a much faster pace than they might with another point guard. It's not a big surprise that he's back, but it does answer a big question. Not many teams in the country will return a one-two duo like Tshiebwe and Wheeler. There are definite areas for improvement. Sometimes Wheeler gets too deep under the basket or doesn't make the best decisions with the ball, and he isn't a reliable three-point shooter, although in SEC play his outside shooting numbers were better. The main thing is with Tshiebwe and Wheeler occupying two of five starting spots, the other three guys need to be able to all knock down outside shots. I'm not sure if that's the case yet. There was a little of Ashton Hagans' freshman year in Wheeler's first season in Lexington. Totally different players, but there were moments when Hagans looked like one of the nation's best point guards. But it seemed a bit more real with Wheeler. I think he gave UK its best point guard play since Shai Gilgeous-Alexander's season.
