In a huge day for the Kentucky Wildcats as 7 players made the news official that they would be leaving coach Calipari and entering their names in the NBA Draft, according to ESPN’s Jeff Goodman.
Karl-Anthony Towns and Trey Lyles are join the laundry list of Wildcats players going to the draf. Willie Cauley-Stein, Dakari Johnson, Devin Booker and the Harrison twins – Andrew and Aaron – were the other 5 players declaring for the draft.
Towns is the favorite to be the Number 1 overall pick in June. He’s a two-way force, which separates him from his major competitor for the top pick, Duke’s big man Jahlil Okafor, who is offensively minded and lacks some of the defensive skills Towns has. Towns is perfectly capable of making both physical and finesse plays, and the big man has the size and skills to do both at the next level. His offense is probably ahead of his defense at this point, which is a scary thing to think about because his defense has long been considered where he is strongest.
Lyles mostly played out of position at small forward due to Kentucky’s depth and insane height. He’s really a power forward, standing at 6’9″ and his ability to shift to the three speaks to his skill set. As he moves back to his natural position in the NBA, concerns about his strength surface and they are very valid. His versatility should warrant him going in the first round and he is projected to be a mid to late first round pick.
