NBA draft 2023: Scouting Cason Wallace, Kentucky basketball prospects

LEXINGTON, Ky. — Since John Calipari's first NBA draft as Kentucky's coach in 2010, a nation-leading 45 Wildcats have heard their names called, 34 in the first round. That includes three No. 1 overall picks and 22 lottery selections.

UK has had at least two players selected in all 13 drafts of Calipari's tenure in Lexington.

But it's no guarantee that streak will make it to 14.

Cason Wallace, the latest one-and-done guard from Kentucky, is expected to be a first-round pick — if not a lottery selection.

The other three Wildcats in this year's draft — forwards Chris Livingston, Jacob Toppin and Oscar Tshiebwe — face more uncertain outcomes. In the latest mock drafts from the Associated Press and CBS Sports, which included only the 30 first-round picks, no UK player appears other than Wallace.

Tshiebwe appears as a second-round selection in mock drafts from USA TODAY, Sports Illustrated, Bleacher Report and NBAdraftroom.com. The latest mock drafts from SI and ESPN have Livingston going in the second round.

As the June 22 draft night draws closer, The Courier Journal reached out to three people who cover the event for national outlets — Jeff Zillgitt of USA TODAY, Sam Vecenie of The Athletic and Jonathan Givony of ESPN — for insight on the four Wildcats trying to make the NBA.

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The first word that comes out of every evaluator's mouth when Wallace's name is mentioned is "defense."

Vecenie said Wallace is one of the best defensive guards he's ever scouted.

"It's not every day that you can say that a 6-foot-4 guard has a chance to make an (NBA) all-defense team. But I think he has that kind of ability," Vecenie said. "On top of it, despite being 190 pounds or whatever, he is so strong through his core. You watch him, he'll get switched on to bigger players and he'll absolutely stand them up on a drive. They'll think that they can lower their shoulder and bully him, and his core, his lower half, is so physically developed and strong, there's just no going through him, which makes him excellent in terms of being able to contest."

Zillgitt, who bases his mock drafts off discussions with NBA executives and scouts, said he couldn't recall the last time a guard as young as Wallace entered the league so equipped defensively and thinks Wallace's "feel for the game is absolutely outstanding."

"I will say this just about any guy who is going into the NBA, especially at the guard or the wing spot: it's going to take them a bit of time to adjust offensively, just because NBA players are so good," Zillgitt said. "But execs and scouts think he has the ability to turn into a capable offensive player. There are enough tools to work with."

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Tshiebwe put together a stellar career at the college level, particularly the past two seasons at Kentucky. But thoughts on his NBA future are mixed.

Despite his otherworldly rebounding ability, Vecenie doesn't see a place for Tshiebwe in the modern NBA because of his other limitations. Especially defensively, where he routinely was exposed last season on pick and rolls and lacks lateral quickness when switched onto guards.

"He hasn't, to this point in his career, at least, displayed the necessary instincts as a player who understands how to play in the gap between the guard and the roller in those circumstances," Vecenie said.

Givony, however, thinks Tshiebwe can find a role in the NBA because of his energy and rebounding.

"I think just the physicality and the way that he goes and pursues loose balls, the instincts he shows, he can change a game, just tipping balls to himself — all the things that we saw him do the the past few years at Kentucky," Givony said. "Those things translate, I think."

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Despite his fringe draft-pick status, Livingston rolled the dice and gave up his college eligibility.

Givony sees plenty to like, though, including Livingston's "multi-positional versatility."

"And then as the years went on, I think he started to show more in terms of the game slowing down for him and being able to make more impact getting on the offensive glass, of hitting some midrange jumpers," Givony said. "So he's a guy whose best basketball is definitely ahead of him."

Livingston is represented by Klutch Sports Group, run by Rich Paul, LeBron James' agent. Klutch's influence, Zillgitt said, is immense.

"NBA teams are not going to worry about his statistics," Zillgitt said. "They'll look at what he can do when he's shooting when he's in these workouts, some of the film they have on him (where) they can really zero in on the things they think he does well and the things they think he needs to improve."

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Barring something unforeseen, Toppin will likely sign an undrafted free agent contract.

Givony praised Toppin's energy and explosiveness.

"I think he's got a little bit more passing to his game than perhaps meets the eye on first glance," Givony said. "He's got some ability to defend, too. He seems like a guy you could potentially put on smaller players and maybe he could slow them down on the perimeter. He's got that kind of length and versatility."

The best news for the four Wildcats, Zillgitt said, is the numerous success stories Calipari players have authored once they don an NBA jersey.

"(NBA teams) know that whatever he learned from Calipari in his time at Kentucky, he's going to be able to take that to the next level," Zillgitt said. "They know that, by and large, there's not going to need to be a lot of hand holding for this particular player."

Reach Kentucky men's basketball and football reporter Ryan Black at [email protected] and follow him on Twitter at @RyanABlack.