Kentucky Basketball: Time to hit the panic button on freshman wing Justin Edwards?

It is hard to find much to complain about when looking at John Calipari's Kentucky Wildcats, who are 12-2 and could very well be a Top 5 team next week when the AP Poll refreshes.

They have elite guard play from veteran Antonio Reeves and a trio of star freshmen in DJ Wagner, Rob Dillingham, and Reed Sheppard. They have an undersized but very productive veteran big man in Tre Mitchell, and the recent additions of freshman Aaron Bradshaw and sophomore Ugonna Onyenso have added more versatility and depth to the frontcourt. 

They are an elite three-point shooting team, while also ranking among the top 40 teams in the country in two-point field goal percentage, assists, blocks, and turnovers per game.

However, if there is a concern bubbling up in Big Blue Nation, it is likely surrounding highly regarded freshman wing Justin Edwards.

Edwards came to Lexington regarded as one of the best freshmen in the country, but with half the season already in the books it is becoming more and more clear he is unlikely to blossom into the kind of player many felt he could be - a two-way superstar wing capable of going No. 1 overall in the 2024 NBA draft.

After a quiet performance against Missouri on Tuesday evening, where Edwards had just four points and two rebounds on 2-7 shooting in 20 minutes, the 6'8 wing is now averaging just 9.1 points and 4.2 rebounds on the year. 

He has started all 14 games for the 'Cats, playing just under 24 minutes per night, and while his 57.3% two point field goal percentage is solid he isn't offering much else for coach Calipari right now. In particular his dreadful shooting has been an issue for Kentucky, as he is now down to just 23.7% from three and only 68.2% from the free throw line. 

He's averaging just 0.9 assists per game, so facilitation isn't a strength, and his length and athleticism hasn't translated to much success on defense either with just 1.0 steals and 0.4 blocks per game.

Most of these issues are more concerning for his NBA draft stock, which has plummeted even in a draft class that is looking weaker and weaker by the day, but he is certainly not helping this Kentucky team in the way many felt he would.

Freshmen all develop at different rates, and no coach in all of college basketball is more familiar with this than Calipari, whose willingness to let young players make mistakes and grow is seen as one of his better traits. 

Having a star two-way wing would massively improve this team's chances of breaking free of the NCAA Tournament demons that have plagued them for the last few years - but the clock is ticking on Edwards being able to reach that ceiling.