Versatile Cason Wallace has been a stat-stuffer for UK so far this season. (Vicky Graff Photo)
John Calipari says traditionally his best players have always been versatile guards.
“They can play on the ball, they can play off the ball. But they’re tough as nails,” Calipari said.
Freshman guard Cason Wallace is showing Calipari he has that toughness and versatility.
“He walks in the gym — and if you remember, Jamal Murray used to make me smile. He would go,’ Smile.’ This kid walks in, ‘Where’s your energy, coach? Energy,'” Calipari said.
“And so he’s fun to be around. He’s a competitor. It’s kind of like Shai (Gilgeous-Alexander) where he says, ‘I trust you. Tell me how you want me to play. I trust you.’ And he’s special.”
He is averaging 11.8 points, 4.8 assists, 3.5 rebounds and 2.5 steals per game while shooting 54.9 percent overall from the field and 47.6 percent from 3-point range.
Wallace also has teammates that Calipari knows can help make him more special.
“With CJ (Fredrick), when you have three guys, CJ, Antonio (Reeves) and him on the floor together, you got three guys that can score the ball and shoot the ball and now you got to rebound with those guys,” Calipari said.
Veteran point guard Sahvir Wheeler is a Wallace fan, too.
“He makes the game way easier on both ends. On offense, he can be the primary ball-handler as well, I don’t always have to come back and get it,” Wheeler said. “He can initiate, he can create plays for himself and others, and defensively, that kind of speaks for itself.
“We’re probably two of the premiere, elite on-ball defenders in the country. We try to guard, we complement each other in that way, we’re both athletic, we’ve got speed and ultimately, we make each other better and we make our teammates better.”
One Response
This Kentucky team still has work to do. It has too many players of comparable talent and roles have yet to be assigned, much less accepted. Wheeler is still trying to prove he can play in the NBA, but that style of play is not good for the team’s success. Until Wheeler commits to doing what’s best for the team, they will struggle and lose to quality teams. Calipari is trying to make Toppin become a newer version of Kenny Walker and Toppin really doesn’t want that role. Crawford plays tight against better teams and would benefit by coming off of the bench with lower expectations of him. Reeves needs to start, but he plays better at the 3 spot versus the 2, but Toppin needs to play the 3. Wallace is our best point guard but he doesn’t want to rain on Wheeler’s (a Calipari pet) senior season. Onyenso is raw, but tall. He needs to play the 4 spot and grow into it. Collins is a backup 4 at best for this season. All of this complicates Tshiebwe’s game. A good coach would have a hard time fitting these pieces together, we have Calipari; so therein lies our dilemma. If Toppin can’t or won’t accept the role being pushed on him, then play him a the 4, Reeves at the 3, Livingston at the 2, Wallace at the 1, and Oscar in the middle. This may well be the lineup that gives this team the best chance of winning.