Marquis Teague:
Position: PG
Year: Freshman
Height: 6-2
Weight: 189
Game: Teague is perfect for the dribble drive motion offense. He specializes in taking his opponent in 1 v 1 situations and is almost impossible to stop. He also has the ‘dish and drive’ down, creating for teammates simply by beating his own and taking advantage of the help defense. Like John Wall he lives for the open court moments and will fly down the court when he needs to.
Strength: Athleticism and speed.
Weakness: Apparently Teague isn’t the best decision maker and is easily disrupted by zones. Zones are Calipari’s downfall and Teague has the same trouble with them as well. He doesn’t have the best jump shot either. (Note: to beat zones you can do two things, move the ball around the perimeter for the open shot or penetrate the zone. Knight beat zones with Harrelson’s hand off passes and picks around the perimeter. We have Doron Lamb and Miller as great 3 pt threats and we have Terrence Jones, and Anthony Davis as large picks. Lets just continue the handoffs, and let Teague take a backseat against zones)
Fun Tidbit: Marquis’ older brother, Jeff Teague, plays for the Atlanta Hawks. He played for a season at Wake Forest, and then went into the draft the next summer along with teammate James Johnson. Jeff Teague played behind Mike Bibby for awhile, but after Bibby went to the (Heat?) Jeff Teague took on a larger role.
Doron Lamb:
Position: SG
Year: Sophomore
Height: 6-4
Weight: 210
Game: As he should be, Lamb is known for his ridiculously good 3 pt. shooting. Lamb is automatic from the corners perpendicular from the basket. There is more to his game though. Calipari has said that Lamb is “Our best basketball player.” Later explaining that Lamb has the best feel for the game, even though he isn’t the best athlete or the most skilled. Last year Lamb had moments when he could penetrate with the ball and finish around the rim easily. He has a real nice tear drop. He just chose not penetrate often because he already had Harrelson and Jones clogging the lane. This year Lamb has said that he wishes to play point guard more and spent the summer bulking up and working on his handles. Let us hope Lamb continues to deliver great three point shooting, and anything above that I will consider a bonus.
Strength: 3 pt shooting
Weakness: Lamb has been criticized by Calipari for having low motivation.
Fun Tidbit:
I love his hat, and my goodness he rocks it. Can someone buy me this?
Michael Kidd-Gilchrist:
Position: SF
Year: Freshman
Height: 6-7
Weight: 232
Game: #Winning! That is what Gilchrist is all about. He has the athleticism to do anything he wants on the floor, able to guard 4/5s of the players, rebounds the crap out of the ball, and is competent offensively. I really don’t know his offensive moves except that he is a slasher, however I do know that he is the ultimate role player. He led his high school team in points and rebounds, but on a team as stacked as Kentucky I really doubt he will do that here. Look at Gilchrist to provide that ‘Jackie Manuel’/’Shane Battier’ role, but don’t be surprised when he takes games over like Kobe would.
Strength: Gilchrist’s motor and unselfish play make him one of the most valuable pieces on the floor. He is a lock down defender willing to do a little bit of everything.
Weakness: Outside shooting
Fun Tidbit: Kidd-Gilchrist is going to star in an HBO documentary ‘Prayer for a Perfect Season.’ A film on KG’s senior season at Saint Patrick High School. Airing October 25th at 9 pm on HBO.
Fun Tidbit: Mike Bibby is really bad at basketball now.