Hamidou Diallo was supposed to be Kentucky’s best player this season.
Kentucky’s Hamidou Diallo finally looked like the player he was always supposed to be
The explosive guard is peaking at the right time for Kentucky.
Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images
Ricky O'Donnell has covered basketball at all levels for more than a decade at SB Nation. He’s currently the Associate Director of Programming.
He could have entered the draft last year as a fifth-year high school player who joined the Wildcats mid-season. Diallo went through the NBA draft combine and was projected by some as a first rounder, but ultimately chose to play college ball for John Calipari instead.
For most of this year, it looked like a questionable decision. Diallo failed to live up to expectations and saw his playing time cut once John Calipari finally figured out his best lineup. It seemed like the ‘Cats were moving on without Diallo being a primary option.
That changed on Saturday vs. Buffalo. Diallo was electric in in Kentucky’s 95-75 win, finishing with 22 points and seven rebounds on 9-of-12 shooting from the field.
Diallo is an explosive athlete. He finally used it to his advantage.
Diallo took over in the second half, scoring 16 points against a MAC team that had no way to matchup with him physically. This wasn’t even his best dunk of the night:
That’s because this was:
Diallo didn’t even average double-figures in scoring this year. His game vs. Buffalo was the first time he scored 20 points in a game since Dec. 16 against Virginia Tech.
He was always a talented player, but he didn’t fit John Calipari’s current roster well. Kentucky needed more shooters, and that isn’t Diallo’s game. As Shai Alexander emerged as the team’s best halfcourt creator (and later, best player), Diallo wasn’t enough of a threat off the ball to impact the game.
That changed in a big way vs. Buffalo. Diallo was everywhere, making above-the-rim plays on both ends of the court. This is what Kentucky was waiting for.
This is the player Kentucky fans thought they were getting
Diallo was a top-10 recruit in his class. He had great size (6’6) and length for a shooting guard, with wiry strength and explosive athleticism. He proved it with a 44-inch vertical leap at the draft combine, which was the second best in the history of the event.
As the South Region clears out for Kentucky without Virginia and Arizona, the Wildcats will be firmly expected to make the Final Four.
If Diallo can be this type of asset moving forward, there’s no reason to put a ceiling on Kentucky’s potential.
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