Skal Labissiere's assertive performance provides glimmer of hope
For months, Kentucky has been waiting for a signs of progress from Skal Labissiere, for any hint of why the highly touted 6-foot-11 freshman was considered Ben Simmons' strongest competition to be drafted No. 1 overall before the season began.
On Thursday night, Labissiere at long last provided a glimmer of hope.
While Labissiere was far from dominant during Kentucky's 80-66 road win at Arkansas, he produced his first double-digit scoring night of the season against a major-conference opponent. He scored 11 points, pulled down three rebounds, blocked three shots and generally displayed more confidence and assertiveness than he had since late November.
There was this smooth 18 footer midway through the first half.
There was this deft spinning pull-up jumper a few minutes later.
Labissiere also had a couple of aggressive dunks off nice feeds from Tyler Ulis and even ignited this fast break with a ferocious blocked shot.
If it sounds ridiculous to tout an 11-point night as a display of progress for an elite prospect, consider just how much Labissiere has struggled the past couple months.
Unable to adjust to the complexity or physicality of college basketball, Labissiere lost his starting job after averaging 3.4 points and 2.6 rebounds in Kentucky's five non-conference games against major-conference foes. The demotion made little difference as Labissiere put up similar numbers off the bench in SEC play prior to Thursday's mini-breakthrough.
The criticism of Labissiere has been intense enough that Kentucky coach John Calipari has tried all kinds of methods to inspire his young big man. The most infamous was inviting Labissiere to a sleepover at his house in hopes that a heart-to-heart chat and a home-cooked breakfast would help ease the pressure the freshman was feeling.
None of that seemed to help, but what did make a difference Thursday was how Calipari used Labissiere.
Instead of planting Labissiere on the block and trying to turn him into the second coming of Karl-Anthony Towns, Calipari allowed the freshman to touch the ball away from the basket and show off his skill off the dribble and his mid-range game. Labissiere also thrived crashing the offensive glass or rolling to the rim after setting high ball screens.
Cal jokes that in his "genius," wanted to post up Skal but "maybe he's a jump-shooting big man."
— Kyle Tucker (@KyleTucker_CJ) January 22, 2016
Calipari told team after game that "a lot of this is on me" with Skal. "If he rebounds and blocks shots, he can shoot jumpers."
— Kyle Tucker (@KyleTucker_CJ) January 22, 2016
The lingering question after Labissiere's progress Thursday night is whether it will serve as a turning point for him or not. His newfound confidence is still fragile enough that it could vanish just as quickly as it appeared if he struggles against Vanderbilt on Saturday.
Labissiere wasn't the only Kentucky big man to deliver an encouraging performance against Arkansas. Derek Willis started for the first time in his career and impacted the game positively at both ends, tallying 12 points, seven rebounds and four blocks.
If Labissiere and Willis can play at the level they did Thursday, it could go a long way toward helping Kentucky achieve the consistency that has proven elusive so far this season. In Kentucky's four losses, the frontcourt duo of Alex Poythress and Marcus Lee are averaging a combined 9.3 points and 9.0 boards between them.
Labissiere could be the missing piece if he can begin to play to his potential. For the first time in months on Thursday night, he offered a glimmer of hope that may happen.
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Jeff Eisenberg is the editor of The Dagger on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at daggerblog@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!
