Kentucky hoops in Bahamas: story lines to watch

Jon Hale | Courier Journal

Show Caption Hide Caption Graduate transfer Reid Travis embracing competition at UK Graduate transfer Reid Travis already sees improvement thanks to increased practice competition at UK.

LEXINGTON, Ky. – Kentucky’s four-game exhibition series in the Bahamas offers an opportunity for some summer team-building and fun, but there will be lessons learned on the court as well.

Three story lines to monitor as games kick off Wednesday night:

Lineup combinations

In a pre-Bahamas practice opened to the media last week, John Calipari stuck with two basic lineup combinations. On one team was Quade Green, Tyler Herro, Keldon Johnson, PJ Washington and EJ Montgomery. On the other was Ashton Hagans, Immanuel Quickley, Brad Calipari, Reid Travis and Nick Richards. Redshirt freshman guard Jemarl Baker was unavailable due to swelling in his knee.

Neither of those lineups seems like the starting five Calipari would use if the season started tomorrow, but will he stick with those units in the Bahamas? He has resisted the urge to platoon, but he might at least keep players with teammates they are familiar with in these summer exhibitions.

The most pressing lineup questions come at the post positions. Can Travis and Washington, the two most physical big men, play together or does Montgomery and his ability to space the floor with his face-up game need to occupy one of the post spots?

Shooting, shooting, shooting

Calipari has made no secret of his belief this team will represent a significant upgrade in 3-point shooting from the 2017-18 squad, but the open practice did not offer many opportunities for the Wildcats’ perimeter players to show off their outside shot.

In a scrimmage atmosphere, expect 3-point opportunities to increase. We know Green is a strong 3-point shooter. Herro and Baker might be the two best shooters on the team, but Quickley’s shooting will be particularly important to watch in the Bahamas. Calipari has credited Johnson with being a better shooter than he was given credit for as a recruit, but the third guard playing alongside Hagans and Johnson in the projected starting lineup will need to be the best shooter on the floor.

Can Quickley shoot well enough for his greater defensive potential to beat Green for a starting spot? Or can Herro show enough in the other facets of his game to be a surprise pick at the two?

End of the bench

If platoons are truly off the table, as Calipari has suggested, the Bahamas trip offers an important opportunity for the players projected to be on the fringe of the primary rotation to stake their claim for minutes in the regular season.

Baker’s health remains a question mark, so we may not see him at all in the exhibition games. He risks falling further behind Green, Quickley, Herro and Johnson in the competition for minutes at the two and the three.

Despite starting every game as a freshman, Richards seems like the most likely candidate to be left behind in the post rotation following the addition of Travis and Montgomery. But Richards is the closest thing to a traditional center on the roster. Can he rediscover the early-season potential he showed at times as a freshman? Confidence will be key after a dismal finish to last season.

Herro looked the part of a contributor in last week’s open practice, but 3-point shooting alone will not earn him a spot in the rotation. His defense, passing and driving ability will be areas to watch this week.

Washington, Johnson, Travis, Hagans, Montgomery, Quickley and Green appear to have spots locked down in the rotation, but struggles in the Bahamas combined with breakout showings from one of the three players listed above might change things.

Jon Hale: jahale@courier-journal.com; Twitter: @JonHale_CJ. Support strong local journalism by subscribing today: courier-journal.com/jonh.