Brandon Knight Wows in Debut as a Wildcat and Other Musings

Brandon Knight was the Gatorade Player of the Year. He looked like it against Windsor.

There are many big headlines after the new look Wildcats big 33 point victory against Windsor and I will get to them soon. I want to first address Brandon Knight's play. The Kentucky point guard made his stunning debut with 31 points, 7 rebounds, 4 assists and 0 turnovers. He is faster than advertised, he has no lack of confidence, he plays smart, he has great ball movement and he looks comfortable in the dribble drive. There were some questions about Knight being the heir to John Wall but it is not fair to compare the two. John Wall was who he was and Knight is going to be great as well. Cal sure knows how to recruit those point guards.

Other things I noticed:

• These Cats can run the court. John Calipari has been saying lately that he wants to play fast and that these players will be able to do it. All indications from tonight point to Cal being correct. I'm not sure if Enes Kanter will slow them down but Terrence Jones can run the court as well as any 6'9 player that I have seen.


• Speaking of Jones, if he plays half as good healthy as he does hurt (shoulder and ankle injuries) then he will be a beast. They need to go ahead and shut him down for the rest of the trip to keep him healthy for the regular season.


• Miller and Liggins are the leaders of the team. The Juniors look like they have improved 100% from last year. Liggins drives to the basket better than anyone on the team and Miller has added bulk to his frame. He added a new dimension of rebounding and a power move to the rim that was lacking. These guys will help put the Cats over the edge.


• They need Kanter and Vargas. The middle was vulnerable and Harrelson doesn't look like he is going to be able to carry the burden on his own. Windsor made some easy lay ups in the middle, something that Kanter and Vargas will be able to stop.


• Lamb looked shaky but he will improve. Poole's defense was very impressive, Hood looks better but is still uncomfortable and Polson scored. Good for Polson.

I know it is only one game against a Canadian college team but it is something to be excited about in August. There is a lot of room for improvement but these Cats looked better in the dribble drive than last year's Cats early on. Does that mean they are better? Of course not. The season and the tournament will decide that.

Go Big Blue!