After last season, Mark Pope had a lot of work to do to get the Wildcats ready to truly compete this season, and he did an excellent job in the transfer portal. One of the players that Pope added to this roster was Washington transfer point guard Zoom Diallo. Last season for the Huskies, Diallo averaged 15.7 points, 4.5 assists, and 3.9 rebounds per game. Diallo was very efficient, shooting 48.9% from the field.
Last season, Kentucky had a ton of expectations, but things didn't go well, and injuries were a big part of this. Jaland Lowe got hurt, and Denzel Aberdeen had to slip away from playing the two and run the one. Based on the circumstances, Aberdeen did the best he could, but Pope needed a reliable point guard this season. He has that in the Washington transfer Diallo.
Sports Illustrated national put out an article ranking the top ten point guards in college basketball this season, and Diallo was not one of the names. After the top ten list, Kevin Sweeney, the writer, added ten more names to watch at point guard, and Diallo was also not on this list. Louisville point guard Jackson Shelstad was listed, which will have BBN frustrated.
When it comes to the impact on winning, Diallo is going to be a top 20 point guard in college basketball this season. When the year is said and done, I don't believe that his numbers will make it seem like he is a top 20-point guard, but the impact on winning is much more important than stats.
I am guessing Diallo is going to average 13 points, six assists, and 3.5 rebounds per game this season for the Wildcats. I also think the 6'5 point guard is going to have a big effect on the defensive side of the basketball. Diallo recently joined the Wildcats Today Podcast, and defense was one of the things he talked about really wanting to work on. He is going to have a big impact on running the offense, but if he can help on defense, it would be huge for Pope.
Big Blue Nation is very excited about their new point guard, and they feel he is without question going to be a top 20 PG1 in college hoops this season. He might have to go out there and prove it, but if there is a list after the season, Diallo will without question be on it.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com/college/kentucky as Will Zoom Diallo be a top 20-point guard in college basketball this season?.