Will potential turn to production for Kentucky sophomore Wenyen Gabriel?

LEXINGTON, Ky. — One year ago, most people weighing in had a hard time figuring how good Wenyen Gabriel was entering his freshman campaign.

Talent and upside made the 6-foot-9 forward with skills more than a wildcard. But compared to his sure-fire lottery-bound classmates De'Aaron Fox, Malik Monk and Bam Adebayo, there was much to learn about Gabriel.

Most had a harder time pinpointing how great he could be in his second or third season, should he remain in college that long.

Here we are, one year later and still trying to answer the basic questions: How good is Wenyen Gabriel? And, still, how much better can he be?

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In the lead up to the 2017-18 season, the Courier-Journal's Fletcher Page will take a player-by-player look at the Kentucky Wildcats roster. It begins with Gabriel, the most experienced returning player on the team.

Yes, Gabriel started 23 games as a freshman, including a career-high 23 points and eight-rebound performance against LSU in early February.

No, he did not do much in games after that. He lost his starting job to senior Derek Willis and scored only one point in 26 minutes in four NCAA tournament games.

There were moments where Gabriel looked good enough to leave school after one season on the momentum of potential and progression. There were more moments, mostly for missteps on the defensive end, when coach John Calipari couldn't wait to get him off the court.

Such is life for a freshman amid the process to fulfill potential at Kentucky in the one-and-done era.

But play along with this ... Adebayo had Kentucky's best defensive rebounding percentage (amount of possible defensive rebounds a player gets each game) and block percentage (amount of two-point shots a player blocks while on the court).

Wait. No he didn't. That was Gabriel, who edged the lottery pick Adebayo 19.3 percent to 17.2 percent in defensive rebounding percentage, and 5.0 to 4.9 in block percentage.*

*(Isaac Humphries, Sacha Killeya-Jones and Tai Wynyard did not play enough minutes to qualify in national rankings.)

So that's where we start, with the data that Gabriel, in limited minutes, has previously performed well on the defensive glass and blocking shots. That's not to say Gabriel is a good defender – he must improve there. But rebounding and blocking shots are two areas where Kentucky will need help this season.

Another area to address: shooting. Gabriel's freshman percentages were: 47.1 percent on 2-point shots, 31.7 percent on 3-pointers, 61.8 percent on free throws. He can be better and likely will be better, especially beyond the arc.

Gabriel and Adebayo were the first two players out shooting before every game at Rupp Arena last season. Gabriel's pre-game work was dominated by 3-point and free-throw attempts, and his shooting form is smooth and fundamentally sound. There's no telling how much time Gabriel has spent getting shots up with assistant Kenny Payne.

When it comes to basketball, games and practice, it seems Gabriel's motor is always running.

"Everybody falls in love with Wenyen because he works hard, he shuts his mouth, he's bright, he's personable and he's a team player," Vin Pastore, Gabriel's AAU coach, told the Courier-Journal earlier this year.

If his shooting and defense improves, Gabriel's minutes and shot attempts will almost certainly increase.

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But all of that might hinge on ... confidence. At times last season, Gabriel, according to Calipari, looked to the bench for approval, both in practice and in games. He needed a nod from Calipari, a pat on the back from Payne. When Gabriel had a good feeling about himself, he did some great things (the LSU game was the best example, but he also had 16 rebounds against Auburn).

When Gabriel wasn't as sure, his play on the court didn't go well. During one stretch last season, Payne was tasked with subbing players who were not playing confidently. Those players had to pay for it later in practice.

After one game, Gabriel approached Payne and asked: "What time do I have to run tomorrow?"

"If you’re not on that floor playing with confidence, I’m running you," Payne said at the time. "It’s that simple.”

For Gabriel, it does seem simple to explain. Increased strength and confidence should lead to better defensive play and shooting. If that happens, it will be difficult to keep him off the floor.

"He went home for three weeks (in May) and his body was in incredible shape," Willis said earlier this month. "So it seemed like he put in a lot of work for that. I'm sure he did just as much on the court, so he's probably improved, I'm sure."

The versatility of freshmen PJ Washington, Kevin Knox and Jarred Vanderbilt create a logjam of newcomers standing around 6-foot-8 with the skills and size to play inside or outside the paint.

How will Gabriel fare in the competition for playing time? Practice, as it always is at Kentucky, should create an elite atmosphere at the forward positions. If he's confident and has improved his defensive placement and shooting, Gabriel either will start or see major playing time.

He has had a year to develop. Now, with his noted work ethic, is the time to put that on display and replace talk of potential with consistent production.