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Alex Wilkins | UK Athletics

Obviously, who you have at point guard is important and Kentucky has a quality one in Zoom Diallo, but one player in particular is going to be huge in determining the team's success next season and that guy is Furman transfer guard Alex Wilkins, who is going to provide crucuial scoring for the Wildcats.

With the way Mark Pope constructed this roster, fit was a clear priority as he looks to get back to playing fast with a ton of ball movement and threes. He made sure to do that this offseason by going with a two-guard lineup, putting Wilkins, who played primarily at point guard last season, at the two spot alongside Diallo. Him sliding over will really allow him to showcase the scoring ability that he is and in turn, helps Diallo show off his playmaking. The duo will be important for Kentucky and for Wilkins, that means plenty of scoring.

Bill Streicher-Imagn Images

Last season, Wilkins averaged 17.8 points, putting up a number of 20-point games and one in particular against UConn in the NCAA Tournament. Against the Huskies, he stepped up with 21 points on 4-8 shooting from deep. Now, he's looking to build on that performance on a big stage in Lexington. What could Wilkins' stats look like at Kentucky? Let's take a look.

Bill Streicher-Imagn Images

Points: 18.2 per game

Wilkins had to do a lot of scoring last season for Furman and if Kentucky wants success next season, expect that type of output to continue. The 6-5 guard scored in double digits in nearly every game last season, with 14 20-point games and again, did it against UConn in the tournament. Kentucky's roster is built on fit, but the go-to scorer is still unclear. It expected to be either Wilkins or a year-two Kam Williams, but one of them will have to step up and Wilkins has already proven he can score at a high level consistently. As a capable shooter, he shot 32.8% from three last season and he'll look to become more efficient there next season, but don't sleep on his pure shot-creating ability.

Assists: 3.5 per game

The 6-5 guard won't have the ball in his hands as much as last season after sliding over to the shooting guard spot, but don't expect the point guard duties to completely go away as he can go back over at any time when Diallo is out of the game. With him now primarily being at the two, the assist numbers will likely dip, with his scoring becoming a priority with the way the roster is constructed. I expect him to dish the rock some in games, but obviously not as much as he did in his freshman year.

Rebounds: 1.8 per game

This is an area where Wilkins should not be expected to have much of a contribution. With Kentucky having a lot of size at each position, especially going with two seven-footers in the frontcourt along with a taller point guard even, don't expect the 6-4 guard to impact much on the glass. That's not a bad thing, it just should be an expected result with Kentucky having a lot of size.

Wilkins is going to be focal point of Mark Pope getting back to his usual fun offensive style. Big things are in store for him in Lexington.


This article first appeared on Kentucky Wildcats on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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