Following Tuesday’s reports that Antonio Reeves could delay his decision to May 10th-15th, the transfer from Illinois State surprised the Big Blue Nation on Wednesday as he announced his commitment to Kentucky.
Reeves’ decision conveniently came just hours after the NBA confirmed Shaedon Sharpe’s eligibility for the 2022 NBA Draft, so take that for what you will.
With that being said, Kentucky is receiving one of the best scorers available in the transfer portal in Reeves, and we will discuss why he is such a good fit at Kentucky.
Fills a position of need
Despite bringing back the unanimous national player of the year, a Bob Cousy finalist point guard, and bringing in two McDonald’s All-American freshmen, there is not a pure scorer, which is where Reeves comes in.
Losing two players of a similar mold, Davion Mintz and Kellan Grady to graduation, Kentucky is in need of shooting and scoring, and Reeves most certainly brings that. Last season, Reeves averaged 20.1 points, and did so efficiently, doing so on a usage rate of 28.6% and while shooting 46.9 percent from the field, 39 percent from 3-point range, and 81.8 percent from the free-throw line.
Unlike Mintz or Grady, Reeves is a better all-around scorer and has shown that he can provide scoring as more than a spot-up shooter.
He is a bucket getter
One of Kentucky’s biggest weaknesses in recent years has been scoring within the half-court offense. Just last season, Kentucky was rated just slightly above average in shots taken in the last 4 seconds of the shot clock, (62nd percentile).
That weakness is a strength of Reeves’, as last season he ranked in the 88th percentile nationally in late clock situations, and received an “excellent” grade by Synergy. In addition, Reeves earned the same grade as an overall offensive player, pick-and-roll ball-handler, jump shooter off the dribble, and isolation scorer.
What does this mean? In short, Reeves can get you a bucket when it’s needed most.
Veteran leadership and his “Chicago mindset”
In an interview with The Athletic’s Kyle Tucker, Reeves talked about what he can bring to Kentucky, saying, “With the experience I have in college, I can be a leader. I can be one of the guys who helps the younger players to understand how to play, what their role is, teach them the pace of the game. And just that Chicago mindset, being gritty and giving it all I got.”
As the current roster stands, Reeves will come in having scored more points in college basketball than anyone else on the team (1,195). While the level of competition hasn’t been the same, Reeves has scored 17 against Ohio State and 25 against a Big-Ten winning Wisconsin team in hislast two matchups against Power Five teams. His experience and scoring ability will bring much-needed stability to the backcourt next season.
Coming out of high school, Reeves was not a highly recruited player nor has he yet to prove that he can play on college basketball’s biggest stage. However, he will bring his Chicago toughness and will fight to help Kentucky towards the goal of a national championship.
A leader, a scorer, and a fighter. Kentucky got a good one folks.
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