Is this new Kentucky basketball team built to run? ‘We got dudes that can fly …’

The intel that came out of Kentucky’s closed-door scrimmage Tuesday suggested that these Wildcats wanted to run, and that they’d be plenty equipped to do so.

When the GLOBL JAM officially started Wednesday afternoon, it didn’t take long for the confirmation that, yes, these Cats can indeed fly.

UK defeated Germany 81-73 in the opener of the four-team, international tournament, and John Calipari’s squad — an almost entirely new group from a season ago — showed off a brand of basketball that could be quite entertaining.

The tone was set early.

Freshman phenom D.J. Wagner scored the first bucket of the game on a floater in transition, the result of a steal and quick attack toward the basket. Less than 30 seconds later, fellow freshman Justin Edwards — like Wagner, a projected NBA lottery pick in 2024 — grabbed a defensive rebound and immediately threw it upcourt to Adou Thiero, who stormed in for an and-one finish.

For the most part, that’s the way things went for the Wildcats in their GLOBL JAM opener. And it sounds like that could be a key attribute for this Kentucky team moving forward.

“I would say we run a lot,” Wagner said. “Coach has had previous teams that ran a lot — that liked to run the floor a lot — and we got a lot of fast guards. And not even guards, just fast players, in general. So we can get out more. Get out and run.”

There were, of course, some other circumstances that led to a more freewheeling style of Kentucky basketball Wednesday. Notably, the Cats were playing without both of their bigs: 7-footer Aaron Bradshaw absent from the trip due to a foot injury, and 6-11 center Ugonna Onyenso sidelined indefinitely after suffering an ankle injury during Tuesday’s scrimmage.

Those absences pushed newcomer Tre Mitchell — a 6-9, 225-pound forward — into the starting “5” spot. And it made 6-9 freshman guard Jordan Burks the backup center when Mitchell was on the bench.

UK is also playing these games under FIBA rules, which meant a 24-second shot clock, naturally leading to a more hurried approach with the ball.

But this group certainly looks the part of one that will keep its collective foot on the gas when the bigs come back and the team returns to college basketball rules. And their coach seems perfectly fine with that.

Calipari acknowledged after the victory that his Cats didn’t do a whole lot from an organized basketball standpoint Wednesday. That was understandable.

“I’ve got a brand new team,” he said. “And you’re trying to say, ‘Well, you only are doing two or three things.’ That’s all we can do!”

Calipari has noted that he only got 10 real practices — with a roster of mostly new players — to get things set for this week. Team defense is a work in progress. Knowledge of specific sets and approaches is lacking. That can be fixed in time.

“But, they competed, and that’s all you want to see,” Calipari said, banging the table for emphasis. “Do they have fight in them? Do they play to win? What does that look like? And we’ll see.”

He clearly liked what he saw against Germany, a group playing free and loose but one that never got too out of control or veered too far away from team principles. The Cats led by double figures for most of the second half before a late German flurry narrowed the gap.

Calipari’s two veterans — Mitchell and returning guard Antonio Reeves — provided a steadying presence. Reeves scored 24, Mitchell had 20, and the two combined to go 7-for-13 from three-point range, shooting behind a FIBA line that’s a little longer than the one they’ll see during the regular season.

But Wagner was electric, continually slicing and dicing his way through defenders. He had 16 points and six assists. Even against older, bigger, stronger competition, Wagner was basically unstoppable in space — his reputation preceded him there — and unafraid in traffic.

Reeves picked up where he left off last season, making several nice drives to the hoop in addition to keeping the defense honest with his long-range ability.

Freshman guard Rob Dillingham — another five-star recruit and the first Cat off the bench Wednesday — showed off an array of quick, deceptive dribble moves that will likely keep defenders discombobulated all season long.

Kentucky took 27 threes (making nine), and Calipari offered up his near-annual proclamation that this should be one of his best three-point shooting teams, a bunch that could theoretically take that many long-range shots on a regular basis.

“But we’re also a team that can get to the basket,” he said. “These kids are a little rougher and more physical than normal freshmen. It’s a good group.”

It’s likely that Calipari will tighten things up a little when the 2023-24 season begins. The addition of Bradshaw and Onyenso will certainly slow things down some, though both of those players run well for big men. But even when this Kentucky team finds its normal, running and gunning should be part of that identity.

Calipari sounds like a coach ready to embrace it.

With Dillingham …

“He needs some space to let himself go some, and I’m gonna let him,” Calipari declared. “You just can’t take bad shots. When you have the ultimate green light to go play with the ball and shoot, you can’t take bad shots. You can’t. Just get a good one. But I thought he did some good stuff today.”

A question about Tyler Ulis being on Calipari’s staff — as a student assistant — again this season led the Hall of Fame coach to say he wanted this team to play like Ulis’ 2015-16 squad. That season, the heady point guard had near-total control to run things as Calipari’s “coach on the floor,” as he always called him.

“You’re seeing that I’m trying to do less and less when I’m coaching, and the reason is I want these kids to feel empowered to go make mistakes, go do stuff,” he said of this team. “Call what you want. I don’t really care. As long as you’re fighting.”

That means giving Wagner a whole lot of leeway. And if he has his way, the Cats will be doing a whole lot of running.

“Most definitely,” the 18-year-old said. “Coach, he encourages us to push the ball whenever we can. Everybody on the team is a pretty good playmaker, so whoever gets the ball can push it and just run and make plays.”

Standing a few feet away, Mitchell — a fifth-year player on his fourth college stop — marveled at some of his younger teammates as he spoke of what he’s observed so far during his first few weeks as part of Kentucky’s program. He sees a group of freshmen that never gets too down, even in practices. And he sees a team that can get the ball and make good things happen quickly.

“Oh, yeah, absolutely,” Mitchell said. “We got a lot of dudes that just go. It’s rebound, run. Rebound, run. Get a stop — we’ll press you and run. We got dudes that can fly up and down the court, but at the same time, dudes are intelligent while they’re doing it. There’s levels to it. Someone can be fast moving down the court and then make a dumb decision. But we have dudes that understand the game and understand the pace that they need to play at. And moments when they need to start and stop and kind of play out the defense type of thing.

“For a young group, it’s impressive.”

GLOBL JAM

Men’s games in the GLOBL JAM, an international basketball showcase in Toronto featuring Kentucky as the USA representative:

Wednesday

United States 81, Germany 73

Canada 88, Africa 62

Thursday

Africa vs. Germany

Canada vs. United States

Saturday

1:30 p.m.: Africa vs. United States (CBS Sports Network live)

8 p.m.: Germany vs. Canada

Sunday

1:30 p.m.: Bronze medal game

8 p.m.: Gold medal game (CBS Sports Network live, if UK is playing)

Kentucky basketball rides a ‘small ball’ style to win over Germany in GLOBL JAM opener

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Box score from Kentucky basketball’s 81-73 win over Germany in 2023 GLOBL JAM

Three takeaways from Kentucky basketball’s win over Germany in GLOBL JAM 2023

Ugonna Onyenso won’t play in Kentucky basketball’s GLOBL JAM opener due to injury

For one Kentucky basketball player, the GLOBL JAM could be a chance to show major progress

No cream puffs in Canada. Kentucky’s opponents in GLOBL JAM are tall, tested and tough.