Mark Pope explains why he hasn't been playing Amari Williams more than 28 minutes per game

Amari Williams has been absolutely dominant in the month of February as he has helped the shorthanded Kentucky Wildcats stay afloat. This month Williams is averaging 14.6 points per game for a team that has really needed some extra offensive production.

Williams is only playing 24.9 minutes per game this month despite all of the injuries, which has some fans confused. While Brandon Garrison is a really good backup center there is no question Williams is the guy.

The reason Coach Pope is not increasing his minutes is because Williams, according to Coach Pope, is best when he plays 20-28 minutes. Coach Pope says when Williams is out there for too many minutes, there is a drop off in his play.

He said the staff wants to try and figure out where that drop off point is so they can stretch him out as long as possible.

It would be great if Williams was able to play around 30 minutes per game once March rolls around, but the staff doesn't want him to not play well because he is gassed.

Some might say, well, why isn't Williams in shape to play 30+ minutes a game? The reality is most seven-footers struggle to play these kinds of minutes, and on top of this, Coach Pope is well known for not playing his guys more than 28 minutes per game.

Coach Pope is elite when it comes to managing his player's minutes per game, but based on his statements, it is clear he wants to get a few more minutes out of Williams.