Tag: Justin Edwards

Photo gallery of Justin Edwards season with the Kentucky Wildcats

A photo gallery of the best moments of Justin Edwards at Kentucky

The 2023-24 season was an interesting one for Justin Edwards. He began the year as a top recruit, and has ended it as an NBA Draft prospect. In between was a little bit of everything.

Edwards was the Kentucky Wildcats top ranked recruit last year, coming in at number three in the country. He joined a very talented group in Lexington, and was expected to be a huge contributor.

Early on, though, he struggled to find his role in the rotation. His shot wasn’t falling, and his confidence wavered. He had some solid games, but not the breakout game he thought he would have.

Finally, against Alabama in late February, Edwards had his moment. He shot 10-of-10 from the field and scored 28 in a Kentucky upset.

For the year, the Freshman averaged 8.8 points and 3.4 rebounds per game. He shot a solid 37% from three-point range, and he proved to be a solid defender, especially later in the season.

After the season, Edwards was the first of the Kentucky Freshman to make his intentions known, declaring for the NBA Draft.

Here is a photo gallery of Justin Edwards and his best moments with the Kentucky Wildcats this season.

Potential first-round pick Justin Edwards announces 2024 NBA draft decision

Kentucky freshman Justin Edwards announced this week that he will declare for the 2024 NBA draft and leave the Wildcats after one season.

Kentucky freshman guard Justin Edwards announced this week he will declare for the 2024 NBA draft and leave the Wildcats after one season in Lexington.

Edwards averaged 8.8 points and 3.4 rebounds on 36.5% shooting from the field in 32 games. He scored in double figures 14 times, including a career-high 28 points, five rebounds, two assists and two steals on Feb. 24 in a win over Alabama.

The 6-foot-8 standout became the first Wildcat player to declare for the draft this year. Teammates Rob Dillingham and Reed Sheppard are expected to join him in leaving for the NBA, adding an exclamation mark to another talented roster for coach John Calipari.

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Edwards is projected to be a late first-round pick. He likely didn’t perform to expectations after entering the year as a consensus five-star prospect, but he showed improvement throughout the year and had some key performances to lead Kentucky to the NCAA Tournament.

The 20-year-old has the strength and size that project to translate well to the next level. His last stretch of the year, in which he averaged 10.1 points, three rebounds, one assist and one steal, proved he should be in the mix to be a first-round pick.

Edwards will have the opportunity to improve his draft positioning in team interviews and workouts over the pre-draft process. He could also be invited to compete in the G League Elite Camp or draft combine next month in Chicago, Illinois.

The 2024 NBA draft will occur June 26-27 in New York City.

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Kentucky forward Justin Edwards has declared for the NBA Draft

Justin Edwards announced he is declaring for the NBA Draft

The roster for the Kentucky Wildcats men’s basketball team is going to look much different next season. Cats fans will be waiting this off-season for news of just who will leave, and who will return. On Thursday, Justin Edwards made his decision.

Edwards will be headed to the NBA after just one season in Lexington. He posted his announcement on his Instagram page.

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The highest rated of Kentucky’s recruits last year, Edwards struggled to start the season. As the year went on, however, he seemed to become more confident and the stats reflected it. He ended up averaging 8.8 points per game and had some huge moments along the way.

Most mock drafts have Edwards going from the late first round to the early part of the second. His talent is evident, and an NBA team could possibly turn him into a very good player.

The Wildcats have a very good recruiting class coming in next year, and will likely hit the transfer portal. For now, though, they’ll wait on the other players on the roster to make their decisions.

 

Justin Edwards was the unsung hero for Kentucky against Arkansas

Justin Edwards was a key player down the stretch against Arkansas

The Kentucky Wildcats struggled more than anyone thought they would with the Arkansas Razorbacks on Saturday. It was a close game for most of the 40 minutes, but Kentucky pulled away late to win it.

It looked like it was going to go the other way for a while, though. With less than ten minutes to play, Arkansas found themselves up by nine, and they still led as the clock ticked towards the final five minutes.

Every Kentucky fan knows that Rob Dillingham took over the game late in the second half, both with his shot-making and with his passing. However, another Wildcat Freshman may have keyed the biggest sequence of the game.

The Cats pulled ahead with less than four minutes to play, when Justin Edwards made a series of defensive plays that all but sealed the victory.

With 3:23 to play, Edwards got the steal, then was fouled and made 1-of-2 free throws.

With 3:12 to play, the Freshman forward stole another one, and used up some valuable time.

With 2:34 to play, Edwards got a third steal that led to an easy bucket.

He followed up those three steals with a baseline jumper to put Kentucky back up by eight, then a three-pointer the next time down the floor to make it a nine point game with 1:25 to play.

Lots of the focus from the win was on the play of Dillingham, and Antonio Reeves, and it was deserved. However, Edwards was a major factor at the end, and that should make Wildcats fans very happy as the NCAA Tournament gets closer.

Fans react after Kentucky basketball’s domination of Alabama

Kentucky basketball fans had plenty to say after the Wildcats dominated the Alabama Crimson Tide on Saturday.

The Kentucky Wildcat’s men’s basketball team needed a win on Saturday after a tough mid-week loss to LSU. With the 13th ranked Alabama Crimson Tide coming into Rupp Arena, it wasn’t going to be easy, but fans were hopeful. As it turns out, the Wildcats were more than ready.

The teams went back and forth early on, and Alabama had a five point lead at one point. The Crimson Tide led 29 – 28 with just under ten minutes to play in the first half, but a D.J. Wagner layup put Kentucky back on top. They wouldn’t trail again.

The Wildcats went on 30 – 13 run to close out the first half to go up 58 – 42. In the second half, Kentucky dominated. They were ahead by as many as 37 points, and ended with a 117 – 95 victory.

Justin Edwards had a breakout game, scoring 28 points on a perfect 10-of-10 shooting, including 4-of-4 from three-point range. Antonio Reeves put up 24 of his own, while Rob Dillingham and Zvonimir Ivisic added 16 and 18 respectively.

Fans were understandably excited about the big win, and took to social media. Here are some of the reactions.

Predictions: Which Kentucky men’s basketball players will return next year

The Kentucky Wildcats have several talented Freshman players who could be drafted. Here’s a prediction of who could leave.

The Kentucky Wildcats men’s basketball team is a very young one. There are six Freshmen in the rotation regularly, and another two Sophomores playing nightly. They’re young, but very talented as well.

When this type of convergence happens, the talk inevitably turns to their NBA prospects and fans begin to wander who will leave early, and who might stick around. With the season’s end approaching, many Cats fans are looking ahead to next year, and guessing at who may be back.

There’s no way to be sure what players are being told by people about their NBA prospects, but here are predictions on what might happen, and what should happen with Kentucky’s Freshman group.

Justin Edwards trending up in win over Ole Miss

Kentucky forward Justin Edwards is heating up at just the right time to help the Wildcats make a postseason run

When the 2023 recruiting class for the Kentucky Wildcats was finalized, the gem of the group was forward Justin Edwards. He was the number three overall recruit in the country, and the headliner for the nation’s top class.

Once the season started, it seemed as if Edwards was having trouble finding his fit in the Kentucky offense. The skills that made him a coveted recruit were evident, but some nights the shots wouldn’t fall, and other nights he just couldn’t find a rhythm in the game.

There were flashes early in the season. Edwards scored 16 points against Texas A&M-Commerce, then made 5 of 7 shots in a win over Miami. Through the Tennessee loss, Edwards averaged just over 7 points and 3 rebounds.

Against Vanderbilt, Edwards set a career high with 17 points, and he looked comfortable. Then he scored the first seven points of the game against Ole Miss en route to a 12 point outing. Again, he looked confident and he seemed in sync with the offense. In his last three games, he’s averaged 12 points and 2 steals per game.

The Wildcats season, especially since the start of SEC play, hasn’t gone as players, coaches and fans would have liked. However, the talent is certainly there to make a run in March. A healthy and motivated Justin Edwards makes that possibility much more likely, and it looks like he might be heating up at just the right time.

Kentucky vs Gonzaga: Quotes from the post-game

Players and coaches had some things to say after Kentucky’s loss to Gonzaga on Saturday

Another big game, and its another loss for the Kentucky Wildcats men’s basketball team, who are in a full-blow free fall. They have now lost four of their last six games, and still have more questions than answers.

The offense remains one of the nation’s best, but the struggles with defense and rebounding are still hurting them in nearly every game they play. There have also been communication issues, which have allowed opponents to continually take advantage of poor rotations, something Gonzaga exploited a lot on Saturday.

After the loss, head coach John Calipari had some thoughts on the game, as did a few of the players. Here are some quotes from the post-game for Coach Cal and others.

2024 NBA Mock Draft: Latest first-round projections at midway point of season

Rookie Wire took a look at the 2024 NBA draft class and where the top prospects stand as of Feb. 1.

The top NBA draft prospects worldwide have collectively reached the second halves of their respective seasons as they look to showcase themselves in front of scouts and executives.

The class this year has seen several players help their stock, while others have struggled and fallen down draft boards. Some players have also dealt with recent injuries and other factors that have prevented them from reaching their potential.

The draft is widely considered open at the top of the board, with several prospects in the conversation to be the first selection. Unlike last year, when Victor Wembanyama was the consensus No. 1 pick, there is no clear-cut choice this year.

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Prospects will continue to see their standing fluctuate over the remaining two-plus months of action on the court as scouts have more time to evaluate them. The sheer unknown atop the draft board should create plenty of storylines to follow over the remainder of the season.

The NBA announced on Wednesday that the draft will be expanded to a two-night format, with the first round set to take place on June 26 at the Barclays Center. The second round will be at ESPN’s Seaport District Studios in New York the following night.

Rookie Wire looked at the class and where the top prospects stand at this point of the season. The order was determined by the reverse order of the NBA standings as of Feb. 1.

Note: Player fit wasn’t necessarily taken into account with each pick. Pick protections and other notes courtesy of Tankathon.

San Antonio Spurs take two forwards and a floor general in new 2024 NBA mock draft

San Antonio has three bites at the apple in the coming 2024 NBA draft.

The San Antonio Spurs need to surround Victor Wembanyama with complimentary players, and in the eyes of Bleacher Report NBA draft expert Jonathan Wasserman, San Antonio has three bites at the apple in the coming 2024 NBA draft that he has a trio of prospects in mind for the Spurs to select.

And while mid-January is not when most of us tend to start looking at the coming draft, for folks like Wasserman, things are just starting to heat up with the collegiate and overseas seasons now well underway. The B/R draft expert sees San Antonio turning to both the NCAA ranks and players currently suiting up in other pro leagues.

Let’s take a look at who he thinks would fit well with the Spurs.