ESPN 100 center Nick Richards announced his commitment to Kentucky Thursday, providing head coach John Calipari with his latest five-star pledge and his first (so far) from the Class of 2017. Here's a look at what he'll bring to Lexington.
Why he committed: Richards has been considered a heavy Kentucky lean for quite some time. Calipari has been personally recruiting him for the better part of the last two years and has taken numerous trips to The Patrick School in New Jersey to see him during that time. Richards has also been actively recruited by former Kentucky forward Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, who once attended the Patrick School (then known as St. Patrick's) before winning a national championship at Kentucky and leaving for the NBA after one season. Richards has made two trips to Lexington this fall, including one for Big Blue Madness. He also had a visit to Arizona scheduled for this fall, but that never materialized, in large part because he's been so well known to be a heavy Kentucky lean. Syracuse was also somewhat involved but at the end of the day Richards' recruitment has been anything but a mystery.
What he brings: Richards is an athletic 6-foot-11 big man who runs the floor well, has good feet and agility for his size and is able to play above the rim on both ends. He's a high level rebounder who has shown flashes of being potentially elite on the glass. His shot-blocking instinct is still a bit of a work in progress but he's already a capable rim protector who is only expected to continue to develop in that facet of the game. He's also a solid post defender with enough mobility to step away from the basket and defend a ball-screen effectively. He's physical and rugged inside with a high motor and a frame that should have no problem continuing to add muscle mass at a consistent rate in the coming years. Offensively, he's a bit raw with his back to the basket and doesn't yet have great hands but he's an explosive finisher around the rim who can rim-run effectively in transition. He also possesses the face-up touch to develop into a capable shooting threat from 16 feet or so.
How he fits: Kentucky will graduate Derek Willis this year and is also expected to lose Edrice Adebayo to the NBA after his freshman season. It's conceivable that Isaac Humphries, Tai Wynyard, Wenyen Gabriel and Sacha Killeya-Jones could all return next year so there might be more experience along the frontline than we're accustomed to seeing at Kentucky. While Gabriel and Killeya-Jones are both more versatile forwards, Richards will solidify the depth of the center position in particular while also providing a more athletic option who can get up and down the floor and above the rim like no one else Kentucky currently has at that spot. With potentially three different big bodies who all bring something unique to the table, competition is going to be at a premium for minutes come next fall. Also don't discount the possibility of Kentucky going big, something Calipari has proven he's willing to do, by moving either Gabriel or Killeya-Jones to the wing and playing with two true bigs.
Who he reminds us of: Richards shows some similarities to former Indiana Pacers big man Antonio Davis at times. Like Davis, Richards is a physical interior defender and rugged rebounder who can also block shots and hedge ball-screens. Offensively, there are similarities in that he's not a true back-to-the-basket scoring threat but he can run the floor well, finish explosively and has a face-up mid-range touch to develop.
How the class is shaping up: We've come to expect wholesale defections to the NBA on an annual basis at Kentucky and this year is unlikely to be any different. De'Aaron Fox and Malik Monk are both expected to follow Adebayo on the one-and-done track and Isaiah Briscoe is likely to explore the jump as well. In other words, Kentucky is going to once again need to reload with an immediate impact recruiting class. ESPN 100 PF P.J. Washington appears to be the most likely to join Richards on the incoming frontline although No. 4 Mohammed Bamba is in play as well. Jarred Vanderbilt and Kevin Knox are both targets at the forward spot, John Petty and Hamidou Diallo on the wing and Trae Young, Quade Green and Shai Alexander at the guard spots.