The return of Poythress means Kentucky's frontcourt will be unmatched next season.
It's April, meaning yet another Kentucky player is making his college decision. Wednesday, Wildcats fans got good news when forward Alex Poythress announced that he will be returning to Lexington for his junior season, passing up on the NBA Draft.
So far, here's the Kentucky stay/go scorecard:
Stay: Poythress, Willie Cauley-Stein, Marcus Lee
Go: Julius Randle, James Young
Undecided: Dakari Johnson, Andrew Harrison, Aaron Harrison
The return of both Poythress and Cauley-Stein is a big surprise, and it means that even without Johnson returning, the Kentucky frontcourt will be absolutely loaded next season.
Kentucky's frontcourt now includes Willie Cauley-Stein, Alex Poythress, Marcus Lee, Karl Towns and Trey Lyles. Sheesh.
— Adam Himmelsbach (@AdamHimmelsbach) April 23, 2014That's a four-star junior, a five-star junior, a five-star sophomore, two five-star freshmen. If Johnson stays, add another five-star sophomore. Now that Poythress is officially a member of the 2014-15 Wildcats, coach John Calipari is going to have quite the longjam to deal with as he tries to get the most out of his talent. It won't be as easy as it looks:
Each offers something a bit different than the rest, and each is quite talented in his own way. But none can run the offense, and a huge lineup featuring many of these players together would handicap the Wildcats' offense and defense. Calipari will have his hands full with the best problem a coach could have: finding enough playing time for a whole bunch of players who all deserve it and would likely flourish given the opportunity.
Still, while the added depth in the frontcourt is nice, the Harrison twins' decisions are important to next year's success, as A Sea of Blue broke down. If they don't return, Kentucky won't have much depth in the backcourt. But if they decide to come back, the Wildcats will be loaded everywhere on the floor.