What to know about Sahvir Wheeler, Kentucky basketball's assists machine

LEXINGTON - Sahvir Wheeler may be playing for a new team, but the Kentucky basketball point guard is leading the Southeastern Conference in assists per game for the second consecutive season.

Here are three things to know about the Wildcats' point guard.

Sahvir Wheeler relies on speed to overcome height

At 5-foot-9, Wheeler is far from the typical John Calipari point guard, but he uses his blazing speed to overcome many of the issues that might normally arise for a player of his height.

"The first rule of being small is you have to be the toughest person on the court," UK assistant coach Jai Lucas said of Wheeler early in the season. "He’s done that. You have to play to your advantage, which is the speed. If you’re small, you can’t play slow."

Wheeler is not considered a strong shooter -- he shot 32.6% from 3-point range in the regular season -- but he still is averaging 10.1 points per game thanks to his ability to get to the rim, where he has a knack for scoop layups over taller shot-blockers.

"It’s definitely the speed,” junior forward Jacob Toppin said of Wheeler’s impact. "...Even though people try to sag off, he can still get into the paint and find others."

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Sahvir Wheeler is one of college basketball's best passers

A year ago, Wheeler led the SEC by averaging 7.4 assists per game at Georgia. Since transferring to Kentucky, Wheeler's points production has dipped while playing alongside more talented teammates but his assist production has remained steady despite missing multiple games due to injury.

Wheeler is averaging 1.5 more assists per game than any other SEC player. He ranks third in the country in assists per game.

Turnovers have occasionally been an issue for Wheeler but he still ranks second in the SEC in assist-to-turnover ratio.

"When you’re small, you have to have a little bit of recklessness about you," Lucas said. "You have to do things because of your size that’s kind of a 50-50 play because it’s the only play you can really make when you’re small. He has the confidence knowing he can make the play. He’s shown the ability to do that.”

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Sahvir Wheeler's family lost their home in Hurricane Harvey

A Houston native, Wheeler had his high school career upended when his family home was destroyed by Hurricane Harvey in 2017.

Wheeler elected to finish out his high school career at Houston Christian High School even after his family relocated to College Station after the storm. The trip between College Station and Houston lasted more than an hour each way, but Wheeler still helped lead Houston Christian to back-to-back state championships.

"I think it’s one of those things that helped him understand how life is filled with swift transitions, and a lot of this stuff is fleeting,” Sahvir’s father Teddy Wheeler said of the hurricane’s impact on his son. “I think he was able to assess what things were important and what things are not, what things are disposable and what things are eternal. I think it did change him as a young man.”

Sahvir Wheeler: How losing home in Hurricane Harvey helped mold Kentucky basketball point guard

Instead of focusing on what they had lost, the Wheeler family set incremental goals for each member to make sure they were looking ahead.

Wheeler has kept that mindset for his basketball career, helping him develop into one of Kentucky's key leaders.

“I think the biggest thing is if you can overcome that, you can overcome anything,” Wheeler said. “We came out of that experience better."

Email Jon Hale at jahale@courier-journal.com; Follow him on Twitter at @JonHale_CJ.

This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Sahvir Wheeler: Kentucky basketball point guard relies on speed