Kentucky basketball has enough players. But how exactly does this UK roster fit together?

Just a few weeks ago, John Calipari’s roster for the upcoming Kentucky basketball season was well short of being able to put on a competitive scrimmage.

That’s changed in a hurry, with recent commitments from two high school recruits — Jordan Burks and Joey Hart — the much-welcomed return of Antonio Reeves and the much-needed addition of West Virginia transfer Tre Mitchell.

And so Calipari’s roster has gone from seven scholarship players all the way to 11, just like that. (There’s still a chance UK could add one more intriguing player to the roster later this summer. Stay tuned.) But how exactly will these pieces come together on the court once the games begin in November?

Kentucky will have an enviable amount of raw talent, no doubt, but Calipari will also go into his 15th season as the Wildcats’ head coach with a remarkably young and inexperienced team, even by his standards. Will it work? Here’s a look at how UK is likely to deploy its intriguing roster in 2023-24.

Guards

The personnel: DJ Wagner, Antonio Reeves, Rob Dillingham, Reed Sheppard and Joey Hart.

How they fit: Antonio Reeves is back, and that was a huge development for the Wildcats, but all eyes in the backcourt will initially be on freshman DJ Wagner, who was long ranked as the No. 1 recruit in the 2023 class and is still projected as an NBA lottery pick in next year’s draft. Wagner is assumed to be UK’s starting point this season. He has the quickness and flash to discombobulate defenders, especially in transition situations, though his half-court play and decision-making in that setting has drawn some criticism in the past. There are likely to be some growing pains in the early part of the season, but the hope on Kentucky’s end is that Wagner lives up to his years-long hype and develops into a true star by the end of the 2023-24 campaign.

Reeves’ return is crucial for the Cats, for multiple reasons. First, he’s now the only returning scholarship player who played major minutes on last season’s team. He’ll also be counted upon as UK’s main three-point threat, hitting a total of 80 threes over 34 games in 2022-23 and shooting better than 40 percent from deep until that dreadful 1-for-10 performance against Kansas State to end the season. While there are some other possibly capable three-point shooters on this team, none are a sure thing to translate into immediate success at the college level. Reeves also showed off a more versatile overall scoring package as last season progressed, and he’s expected to be much more than simply a spot-up shooter in year two with the Wildcats.

Rob Dillingham has the reputation as one of the best perimeter scorers in the 2023 recruiting class. While not a consistent knockdown shooter from long range, he can make threes and has a shifty game off the dribble that allows him to score at all three levels. His size could be of some concern. While he can create for himself with the ball, he’s not really a point guard, yet he was measured at under 6-1 (without shoes) and 159 pounds at Overtime Elite’s pro day earlier this year. His recruiting stock also took a bit of a hit over the past few months, dropping from No. 8 on the 247Sports board going into this past season and ending up at No. 20 in the final rankings. Still, he’s a unique offensive talent who can score in bunches when he gets hot.

Reed Sheppard is Kentucky’s Mr. Basketball and one of the most-hyped recruits to ever come out of the state. The McDonald’s All-American combo guard should be a solid contributor in year one. He can score, but he’s an unselfish player and unafraid to take a back seat offensively, if the game dictates it (as many will this season). He’s also shown an ability to work well within team defensive schemes, though his one-on-one defense raised some questions in bigger settings like the McDonald’s practices. He’s expected to provide some meaningful minutes off the bench as a freshman.

Joey Hart was a standout player in Indiana this past season. He’s mostly known as a long-range shooter. The general consensus among objective observers indicates that Hart won’t have much of an in-game impact on the Wildcats’ fortunes this season, though he should be an important player in UK’s practices and could possibly get some spot minutes if the team is in dire need of three-point shooting.

The verdict: This is the deepest position group for Kentucky, and it seems likely that Calipari will play some three-guard lineups as a result. Wagner and Reeves should both get as many minutes as possible, and Dillingham also has the ability to play 25-30 minutes — and could start, depending on how Calipari wants to set that five — especially if he buys in on the defensive end. That side of the court could be a worry for UK, especially in the backcourt. Wagner has the physical and mental makeup to be a good perimeter defender, but Dillingham has never been known for his defensive skills, Reeves struggled mightily at times there last season, and Sheppard is likely to endure a steep learning curve as he moves up to the college level. UK also needs someone to step up and join Reeves as a go-to three-point shooter, whether that be a player from this position group or the next one.

Wings

The personnel: Justin Edwards, Adou Thiero and Jordan Burks.

How they fit: Justin Edwards, a projected lottery pick in the 2024 NBA Draft, is the clear standout of this group. The 6-7 small forward might have the highest floor of any freshman in the country next season, and that’s not to discount his ceiling, which could be considerable if he proves to be a consistent shotmaker and versatile defender. Edwards is used to playing alongside top-notch talent, so it shouldn’t be much of a transition for him to co-exist with other potential stars — and high-volume shooters — like Wagner, Dillingham and others here. While only a freshman, Edwards is likely to provide a steadying presence for this Kentucky team, and it shouldn’t be a surprise if he emerges as the Cats’ best all-around player fairly early on.

Adou Thiero — listed at 6-6 and 200 pounds — is back for a second year after playing off and on and all over the court as a little-hyped freshman last season. With several veterans and more highly touted prospects blocking his way to major minutes, Thiero made an impact on several games despite being utilized in a number of different roles. (He played everything from point guard to power forward in UK’s games and practices.) A more clearly defined positional role would likely move along Thiero’s development, and — assuming UK’s guards can stay relatively healthy — he should be able to get meaningful minutes as a wing this season.

Jordan Burks’ scoring line jumps off the page — he led Overtime Elite in scoring with 27.1 points per game — but it’s probably best to pump the brakes on him becoming an offensive force at Kentucky next season. Burks thrived in the up-and-down style of the OTE, and he also took 19.9 field-goal attempts per game. He’s certain to find a much different landscape in college. Burks does have some obvious talent, and — listed at 6-9 and 190 pounds — some size to shoot and score over the type of defenders he’s likely to see this season. He will need to remain committed on the defensive end (a major question mark, according to scouts familiar with his game) and prove he can be more of an efficient scorer in the more regimented environment he’ll find at UK. In his OTE games last season, he shot 26.7 percent from three and 67.0 percent on free throws.

This position group will also include longtime walk-on Brennan Canada, an important practice player for the Cats but a fifth-year senior with only nine career points in 20 college games.

The verdict: Edwards will be relied upon to be a star for Kentucky, and his play will help shape the overall fortunes of this team. He’ll be one of Kentucky’s starters, either at the “3” spot or the “4” position, if Calipari decides to go with a three-guard lineup. It would certainly help UK’s outlook if Thiero can emerge as a key player in year two, especially from a defensive perspective. With some question marks in the frontcourt, everyone who plays from this group will likely need to rebound at a solid rate.

Post players

The personnel: Tre Mitchell, Aaron Bradshaw, Ugonna Onyenso (and Somto Cyril?).

How they fit: Tre Mitchell was a late addition to the transfer portal following the departure of Bob Huggins at West Virginia, and Kentucky should greatly benefit by his arrival to bolster what would have otherwise been an incredibly green frontcourt.

Mitchell — 6-9 and 225 pounds — starred for two years at UMass, played a prominent but supporting role for one season at Texas and then averaged 11.7 points and 5.5 rebounds in 30.0 minutes per game at West Virginia in 2022-23. Like with Reeves and the perimeter corps, Mitchell will be counted on as a veteran presence for a young frontcourt group. He’s better known for his offensive ability — and even made 36 threes at a 36.4-percent rate last season — than his defense, though Huggins said toward the end of the 2022-23 campaign that he had made strides defensively. Mitchell should also be able to help the Wildcats on the boards — a major question mark for this team following the departure of two-time national rebounding champion Oscar Tshiebwe and the unknowns elsewhere in the paint.

Outside of Mitchell, this position group has the lowest level of “sure thing” but also possesses arguably the highest upside on the roster. All three of the following players have the potential to be stars, particularly in the long term, but none should be considered can’t-miss prospects for the 2023-24 season.

Aaron Bradshaw is a 7-footer with range that extends to the three-point line and the physical tools to be a disruptive defender both at the rim and in space. Some NBA Draft boards have him in the top five for 2024, while others are less bullish. (ESPN places him at No. 32, for instance.) His ceiling is as high as anyone on UK’s team — arguably as high as any player in the entire 2023 recruiting class — but it’s just a matter of how quickly Bradshaw can adapt and progress at the college level. There have also been injury rumblings surrounding him since the McDonald’s Game in late March, and those rumors have been confirmed in recent weeks — Bradshaw does indeed have a foot injury — though it remains unclear whether he will miss any time once the actual season begins. It will be important to get clarity on his playing status this summer.

Ugonna Onyenso showed off tantalizing shot-blocking abilities while Tshiebwe recovered from a knee injury last year, but he didn’t play much as the Cats’ season progressed. UK will likely need major minutes from him this time, and Calipari had some high praise for the young center immediately after last season ended. “At the end of the day, my guess is he’ll be — if not the best — one of the best big guys in the country next year,” the UK coach said.

With Tshiebwe gone and Bradshaw’s status uncertain, Onyenso might be the Cats’ starting center, and if the sophomore can protect the rim against top competition, it would go a long way toward restoring a staple of the Calipari era that had been missing the past two seasons while also providing much-needed backup for a UK perimeter defense that could be porous at times.

Somto Cyril, a physical frontcourt talent in the 2024 class, visited Lexington earlier this month and has been trying to complete the necessary coursework to reclassify to 2023, a move that would allow him to play for UK this season. While it looked like a reclassification and commitment to the Cats was a probability just a few days ago, there’s now much more uncertainty surrounding Cyril’s immediate future. He could still end up in the 2023 class, or he could remain in 2024 and be a priority target for Kentucky in next year’s recruiting class.

If Cyril does land on Kentucky’s 2023-24 roster, he would be another boom-or-bust candidate in the frontcourt. His addition would provide the Cats with some much-needed bulk at the “5” spot. Nicknamed “Baby Shaq” in recruiting circles, Cyril measured at 6-10 and 246 pounds with a 7-5.5 wingspan at the Overtime Elite pro day earlier this year. Bringing in Cyril for this coming season would surely boost Kentucky’s rebounding potential — and overall physicality in the frontcourt — but, again, it’s no longer assumed that he will be on the 2023-24 roster.

The verdict: Mitchell’s addition is key, but how this overall group pans out will be among the most interesting storylines for this Kentucky season. The Cats likely need at least one of the younger players to prove they’re capable of playing considerable, impactful minutes at the high-major level. It would go a long way if Bradshaw or Onyenso (or both) can be solid rebounders, and restoring some of UK’s past shot-blocking glory would also be a major development. High-upside big men are always a high-risk proposition in the short term. Plenty of past five-star freshmen have fizzled out early or taken multiple seasons to emerge as big-time college players.

Calipari clearly was looking for more veteran help in the frontcourt, missing on Michigan center Hunter Dickinson, San Diego State forward Keshad Johnson and Creighton forward Arthur Kaluma in the transfer portal before landing Mitchell. The fifth-year player will need some help, and fairly quickly, or it could be a bumpy ride underneath the basket for this Kentucky team.

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