Devin Askew is UK's starting point guard but John Calipari wants him off the ball more, dribbling less and playing fewer minutes. (SEC Photo)
Point guard play is what every successful team must have but Kentucky coach John Calipari has made a habit of having great point guard play. But not this year.
Freshman point guard Devin Askew is averaging 6.9 points, 2.9 assists, 2.8 rebounds and 1.0 steal per game. He’s shooting only 34.8 percent from the field and 25.7 percent from 3-point range. He’s making 2.5 turnovers per game.
After Saturday’s win over LSU, Calipari said Askew was “better” but then added comments that sure did not make it seem that way.
“You’re noticing I’m trying to play him less. He’s way better with less minutes. When he gets over that 24, 25 minute mark, there’s real diminishing returns,” Calipari said. “It’s both physical and mental because he plays so hard and he runs so hard. We just got to keep his minutes down.”
Keep his minutes down? Not exactly the inspiring words you want to hear from a coach known for grooming future NBA point guards about his current point guard.
Of course, Calipari was even tougher with his comments about Askew after UK’s loss at Georgia last week.
“Here’s how I want Devin to play so you all know: I don’t want him to have a lot of dribbles. I want him to get it up and get away from the ball. The reason I like that is because away from the ball, he can make plays and he can make shots. On the ball where everyone is watching him, he’s not effective. He’s just not,” Calipari said.
How can he be a point guard if he’s not effective with the ball?
“If we put him in pick-and-rolls, get rid of the ball. If you have a layup, take it. You can’t come off thinking you have to score because now you add two dribbles to everything. Now you understand what I’m saying. Less dribbles, get rid of the ball, go away from the ball and when it comes to you, make plays,” Calipari said.
“Again, he’s a respectful kid, I just don’t know if he’s hearing what we’re trying to get him to do. He will.”
Against Georgia, Askew was 0-for-5 from the field and had five turnovers along with five assists and five rebounds. Against LSU, he was 0-for-5 —all 3-pointers — from the field but had just one turnover. He did have four assists and three rebounds.
In the last two games he’s 0-for-10 from the field and 0-for-6 from 3-point range. He’s also missed his only two free throws, including one at Georgia that enabled Georgia to hit the game-winning shot just before the final buzzer.
That made one wonder if Calipari was talking about Askew after the LSU game when he said he was “all over guys” to shoot more. Maybe he meant guard Davion Mintz, who is 4-for-18 the last two games and 2-for-11 from 3-point range. Dontaie Allen is 3-for-9 overall and 2-for-7 from 3-point range in those games.
“Guys won’t shoot ’em. They have a shot, they pass up a shot, and they dribble into a harder shot. Why would you do that?” Calipari said after the LSU win Saturday. “Shoot the ball. If you go 0-10, that’s on me for leaving you in, not on you. If anybody asks you, say you should have taken me out because he told me keep shooting. Couldn’t hit the side of a barn. That’s OK.”
Again, remember Askew is 0-for-10 the last two games. Maybe that’s just a coincidence that Calipari used 0-for-10, maybe not.
“Not to shoot in these situations is being selfish. Shoot the open shots. You know what, there’s three things that can happen. You may make one. May be unusual, but you may make one,” the UK coach said. You may miss it, and we offensive rebound it because we’re big and long. Or you may miss it and they get it, but we’re in a good position to get back so they can’t score on us.
“Hopefully we’re going to get this down to where if you shoot it, shoot it. If you don’t have a shot, that means you’re swinging it or driving it to get someone else a shot. Not –- you chose not to shoot it, so now you’re not going to shoot, you’re either going to pass or drive. We’ve just got to get them in that mode.”
