Seth Davis, the self-proclaimed Jigsaw Man, has looked at some of the teams across the country that are a piece away from being the team to beat.
When Davis looks at Kentucky, he sees a team that can’t shoot the 3 and a freshman big man in Skal Labissiere who is “struggling big-time.”
Davis says the Cats have a “je ne sais quois it lacks” and he has the answer.
Missing piece: Roosevelt Jones, 6’4″ senior forward, Butler
The Jigsaw Man does not move these pieces lightly. He knows what Jones means to the Butler program, to college basketball in general and to the free world at large. He is, in short, man-crush material. But he is needed far more in Lexington than in Indianapolis. He needs to teach Big Blue Nation about the Butler Way.
To be sure, Jones will not improve Kentucky’s outside shooting issues. During his two-plus seasons at Butler, he has yet to make a single three-point shot. Jones is only shooting 58.5% from the free throw line. He has the ugliest shooting form in the country, but he is an artist with his floater, he is a rugged defender, and he makes winning plays—hence his 7.8 rebounds, 5.4 assists and 1.2 steals per game, as well as his 3.27 assist-to-turnover ratio.
Best of all, Jones brings scalding competitive heat to every room he enters. He’s a thermostat, not a thermometer. The Jigsaw Man has every confidence he will fix his blowtorch on the talented, callow Wildcats, welding them into a fierce and unbreakable machine.
Read “Hoop Thoughts: Jigsaw Man finds missing pieces for almost-contenders” by clicking here.
Kentucky definitely doesn’t have someone that can bring the intensity and testicular fortitude that can fire up the team when the game gets heated.
Can Tai Wynyard be that guy?
I think it is a far-fetched dream for a kid that just jumped off the plane and has really never played the type of basketball we are all used to.
But, you have to remember, John Calipari is pretty good at picking talent.
