It has been a non-Kentucky like start to the season for Kentucky.
The Wildcats had to come back to beat Utah Valley in the opener, struggled to put Vermont away in the second game, and lost a close game against Kansas on Tuesday.
But while those results presented a few question marks about where this team is right now, one of the bigger concerns has been about point guard play.
With John Calipari’s history of trotting out elite point guards – Derrick Rose, John Wall, and De’Aaron Fox immediately come to mind – some fans and analysts are concerned that Kentucky’s current crop of point guards may not pack the same type of punch.
However, Quade Green’s performance in Friday’s win over East Tennessee State showed what’s possible within this talented backcourt.
Green scored a career-high 21 points, and most importantly, scored 10 points in two minutes after the Wildcats were outscored 18-8 to start the game.
He also added three assists and a steal in 26 minutes of action.
Back in @Rupp_Arena, back in the win column. Here are tonight's highlights from @KYwildcatsTV pic.twitter.com/wHNSnQv8f6
— Kentucky Basketball (@KentuckyMBB) November 18, 2017
That type of scoring output is something that Kentucky fans hadn’t seen from Green in the team’s first three games. He had only went 8 of 22 from the field and appeared to be unable to find a rhythm on the offensive end of the floor.
But that changed against the Bucs, with Green showing more aggressiveness on offense, which led to the type of scoring performance that would certainly be welcomed going forward.
And, of course, it didn’t hurt that Green did a good job taking care of the ball in only committing three turnovers. Fellow freshman point guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who had six turnovers against Kansas, rebounded nicely with only two turnovers in the game.
Those two players will undoubtedly be crucial to Kentucky’s success this season. They might not produce the same type of awe-inspiring performances that Fox did at times a year ago, but both are talented enough to take over a game at any time.
We saw that from Green in the win over ETSU, and Gilgeous-Alexander has shown flashes of being able to do the same.
With the SEC being deep at guard this season, the development of both players may be the deciding factor in whether the Wildcats can claim another regular season title. We already know what to expect with guys like Hamidou Diallo and Kevin Knox, but we still have to wait to find out how consistent Green and Gilgeous-Alexander will be against tough competition.
For now, Green’s offensive output against East Tennessee State is an encouraging sign.
And if he stays aggressive and continues to limit his turnovers, it’ll be hard to keep him off the floor as the year goes on.