The Kentucky Wildcats will have everything they need to regain the talent they will lose in the NBA draft.
The most notable wildcat expected to try his hand at the next level is freshman guard TyTy Washington Jr., who started 29 games and averaged 12.5 points per game. He will likely be a borderline lottery pick.
The Wildcats are also likely to lose Shaedon Sharpe to the NBA. Sharpe hasn’t played a second this season so he won’t be a loss in terms of return/away production. Still, there’s no question that a Sharpe return to Lexington would be the best John Caliparis backcourt could hope for this offseason.
Assuming both Washington and Sharpe leave, Kentucky has a few options when it comes to replacing what he could do offensively, and that’s exactly what they can do by bringing Kansas State Warden Nijel Pack into the take sight.
Pack averaged 17.4 points, 3.8 rebounds and shot 43.6% from three-point range last season. He was also named a First-Team All-Big 12 selection. Shooting Pack would bring great joy to the Cats, a team that struggled to shoot from deep last season.
Since Sahvir Wheeler isn’t necessarily an inner-city threat, adding a player like Pack would be ideal. Pack will be a junior next season and has started 52 games for K-State in recent seasons.
Kentucky have two of the nation’s top 10 recruits who will join them next season, one a small forward in Chris Livingston and the other a combo guard in Cason Wallace. That could pave the way for a great need for a star like Norchad Omier.
Omier played his first two seasons at Arkansas State but wants to move elsewhere. A season ago, he was averaging 17.9 points per game.
As with Pack, the real success for Omier lies in his efficient scoring, which could be a need, especially if international player of the year contender Oscar Tshiebwe does not return for another season.
Tshiebwe’s status for next season is still largely unknown, which makes a possible addition of Omier all the more important. Omier shot 63% from the field last season.
Both Pack and Omier would be welcome additions as the Cats look to retool their roster for next season.
For what it’s worth, Evan Miyakawa’s advanced analyzes have both Omier and Pack as the top five transmission options currently available.
The main reason for Omier’s high predicted rating is that he was ranked among the top 15 most influential defenders in the country this season according to the Defensive Bayesian Performance Rating.
— Evan Miyakawa (@EvanMiya) March 31, 2022
The Athletic actually ranks 2nd among all high school recruits and college transfers still available with this breakdown by Sam Vecenie and CJ Moore.
Pack suits pretty much every team in the country. He is capable of playing both guard spots but has broken away from the ball alongside Markquis Nowell this season, allowing him to focus more on scoring. He’s one of the best knockdown shooters in the country and can do it quickly, either from the jump or the catch. He’s a career 42.9 percent 3-point shooter, made even more impressive by the difficulty of some of those shots. Pack shouldn’t have a shortage of suitors as he’s a characterful guy who can take shots and lead a team. He’s from Indianapolis, and Indiana’s two Big Ten programs could both use a shot-making guard.
Check out some highlights from Omier and Pack in action.
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