The demise of John Calipari’s recruiting ability at Kentucky has been greatly exaggerated

The best subplots in college basketball tend to get compounded year after year even as the principle components change places. Case in point: 12 months later, what do we make of the purported platoon John Calipari used at Kentucky?

Maybe the idea of the platoon was always overblown, but it’s worth mentioning that Karl-Anthony Towns -- the likely No. 1 pick in Thursday’s NBA draft -- finished seventh on the Wildcats in minutes per game. Obviously, almost everything Calipari tried last season was a great success, as Kentucky became the first team to ever start a season 38-0 before the magic finally wore off in the Final Four. But for as historically dominant as last year’s Wildcats were, there was a point when the platoon looked like it might have produced a negative effect in recruiting.

After UK’s top seven players turned pro, Calipari was tasked with reloading the roster even beyond the stacked three-man freshmen class he had already signed. Fortunately for Kentucky, it’s become trendy for blue chip recruits to sign late, and that meant there were a number of high caliber players who remained uncommitted in the class of 2015 even after Kentucky’s perfect season ended. One by one, they each chose to play somewhere else.

Brandon Ingram considered the ‘Cats, but joined Duke. Jaylen Brown listed Kentucky as a finalist, but picked Cal. Caleb Swanigan chose a school other than Kentucky twice, first committing to Michigan State, then reopening his recruitment to chose Purdue. Many thought Cheick Diallo was favoring Kentucky when he announced he would play for Kansas.

Kentucky was still going to have a great team for next season led by the front runner for the No. 1 pick in 2016, big man Skal Labissiere. Still, it felt like the Wildcats’ talent level would going to be a little underwhelming following such a historic season. Were five-star recruits worried there wouldn’t be enough playing time to go around at Kentucky? Did Calipari suddenly lose the “players’ program” mystique that made Kentucky so appealing to the best incoming freshmen?

The questions were fair, at least for a few weeks. On Wednesday, Calipari provided an emphatic response to the critics by finally getting a five-star player to give a surprising commitment that went his way.

Jamal Murray, a dynamic combo guard from Ontario, chose Kentucky when just about everyone thought he was going to Oregon. All of a sudden, the platoon and everything else doesn’t seem to be such a hindrance in recruiting anymore.

Murray had been in the class of 2016, but after a breakout performance at the Nike Hoops Summit in April, there was pressure to reclassify. Sharing the court with the best talent in 2015, like future Wildcats teammates Labissiere and Isaiah Briscoe, Murray was the best player in the game. He scored 30 points, dished out six assists and showed a combination of feel for the game and an ability to score from all three levels that could have him on NBA radars as early as one year from now.

At 6’4, Murray projects as a burly point guard in the NBA. Perhaps that’s why it’s so surprising he chose Kentucky. With sophomore Tyler Ulis and the freshman Briscoe already entrenched in the backcourt, it sure looks like Murray will be playing off the ball in a three-guard alignment in Lexington.

That’s not to say playing alongside Ulis and Briscoe will hurt Murray’s stock. That’s possible, but not likely. NBA scouts saw what he could do at the Hoops Summit. If he shows an ability to finish at the rim, shoot from deep and find open teammates at Kentucky, NBA teams will have no problem projecting his future position without seeing him play there in college. It’s also likely Murray will get some time to run the point by himself when Ulis and/or Briscoe are on the bench.

It all fits in line with Calipari’s new buzzword for the season: “positionless basketball”. This has been a trend in the NBA for years, but when Cal says it, it gets derided as spin control. Last season Kentucky had a glut of big men. This season they will have a glut of point guards. Whatever. Throw the most talented players on the floor and let them figure it out.

The emphasis in the NBA has been on versatility, players capable of shooting from deep, putting the ball on the floor, swinging the ball and guarding multiple positions. Right now, Calipari seems like he can pull that off on the college level.

Murray and Briscoe are powerful combo guards. Alex Poythress can defend anyone as a combo forward. Labissiere can play the four or the five. Freshman Charles Matthews projects as a jack of all trades type on both ends of the floor, as well.

Of course, “positionless basketball” is really just a way to get your best talent on the floor regardless of how it fits into the traditional structure of a basketball lineup. For it to work, you really just need great talent. This was supposed to be a “down year” for Kentucky even with Labissiere. Now that Murray is in the mix, Kentucky has three players ranked in the top 16 of their class according to 247 Sports.

The lesson? Doubt Calipari’s recruiting ability at your own risk. No one adds a five-star recruit at the end of June, but Kentucky just pulled it off. The 2015-16 ‘Cats won’t look anything like last season’s powerhouse, but you can still make the argument they’re the most talented team in college basketball. For Kentucky, the more things change, the more they stay the same.