Kentucky’s final summer practice may have done something coaches never love: it made the picture at power forward a lot less clear.
Mark Pope opened the workout to a limited group of Big Blue Nation observers, and the footage that surfaced from the session pointed straight to one question: who gets the starting four spot for the Wildcats?
Ousmane N’Diaye looked like the obvious answer when he arrived earlier this offseason. The international big seemed built for the job. But Justin McBride has pushed his way into the conversation, and the former four-star recruit and senior transfer from James Madison has created real competition behind the scenes.
McBride’s shooting is the part that jumps off the page. His jumper looked sharp in the practice clips, and that kind of floor spacing matters in a Pope offense built around the three-ball. Mario Maitland posted the footage that sparked the discussion, along with the note: “Justin Mcbride stroke looking good!
Going to be interesting to see who earns Kentucky’s starting 4 spot. pic.twitter.com/djQsEobEdv”
The battle, at least for now, comes down to two different kinds of appeal: McBride’s proven production versus N’Diaye’s upside.
McBride’s path has been steady rather than flashy. After a quiet start at Oklahoma State, he rebuilt his game and found his footing at James Madison.
Last season, he hit 40% of his shots from three-point range, averaged a career-best 15.3 points per game and added 5.6 rebounds in nearly 30 minutes a night. That’s a strong résumé for a player trying to win a starting job at Kentucky.
N’Diaye brings a different kind of profile. At 6-foot-11, he has the kind of length and frame that stand out immediately, and he can get downhill with force when he gets moving.
He’s 22, so he’s not exactly a raw teenager, but he does still face the adjustment that comes with jumping into the NCAA game. Last season with Cremona, he averaged 9.8 points and nearly seven rebounds per game, and his outside shot sat just above 30%.
That mix of size, mobility and long-term projection is exactly why he has been on NBA Draft boards for years. The talent is obvious. The question is how quickly it translates in Lexington.
If Kentucky is choosing strictly on fit right now, McBride has the edge. His shooting would complement Milan Momcilovic and Alex Wilkins, and that kind of spacing lines up cleanly with Pope’s preference for perimeter production.
It would also allow N’Diaye to settle in as a reserve, which could be the better path for his development. Pairing him with seventh-year big Franck Kepnang off the bench would give Kentucky another frontcourt option while letting N’Diaye ease into the college game.
Even so, nothing here is locked in. Pope is still recruiting for the final roster spot, and that alone could shift the rotation picture fast.
For the moment, McBride has made the strongest early push to start. The good news for Kentucky is that this isn’t a problem without answers.
It’s a choice between two viable options.
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Mark Pope Suddenly Has A New Chance To Finish Kentuckys Roster
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Pope has already talked about the progress Kentucky is making in summer practices, but the roster is not necessarily finished just because the bulk of the work is done. The Wildcats have shown interest in several transfer options as they look at that 15th spot, and this new eligibility wrinkle could widen the pool of possibilities in a way that keeps the back end of the roster fluid for a little while longer. [Read more 🡒]