LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) – I don’t think this one will be at the top of John Calipari’s NBA Draft resume. You can bet that resume is part of every media guide (if they still have those) and set of game notes issued at a school where he is coaching, and why shouldn’t it be? It’s legitimately one of the most impressive feats in college basketball history.
Calipari’s ability to recruit top-level high school players and usher them into the NBA quickly and efficiently is unmatched in the game.
Which makes the case of Justin Edwards that much more puzzling. He not only was the top-ranked recruit in the country when he signed at Kentucky, at the head of a blockbuster recruiting class, but at least two publications – The Athletic and USA Today – had Edwards projected as the No. 1 overall pick in the NBA Draft as recently as last summer.
Yet Edwards now stands as the first consensus Top 3 recruit in college recruiting service history to go undrafted.
Once under Calipari’s wing, he failed to take flight. For multiple reasons.
Kentucky was a guard-dominated team, with a pair of lottery picks and a second round choice taking up lots of ball time (and scoring).
Edwards wasn’t the only Kentucky big to fall short of expectations last season. Aaron Bradshaw was a projected first rounder who wound up staying in school, transferring to Ohio State after his one season in Lexington.
Frankly, that’s the route Edwards probably would’ve been wise to take. He started slow as a freshman, which puts you under immense pressure at Kentucky. A teammate, Reed Sheppard, put him in touch with a sport psychologist who helped him deal with that.
Another teammate of Edwards, DJ Wagner, also failed to inspire NBA scouts. A projected lottery pick, he wound up having to pass on the draft and, in the end, followed Calipari (and linked up with family friend Kenny Payne) at Arkansas.
Both Bradshaw and Wagner may make more money in the coming season trough NIL deals than Edwards will after signing as an undrafted free agent with the Philadelphia 76ers.
Calipari continued to advocate for his player on social media this week.
“Justin Edwards signed with 76ers,” he posted. “I was disappointed he wasn’t drafted because his upside is ridiculous!!! Philly is a great landing spot for him. Coach (Nick) Nurse really likes him. Tyrese (Maxey) and I talked. He’s going to take him under his wing. Don’t be surprised as he busts through.”
It wouldn’t be a surprise. Edwards scored 28 points at Alabama late in the season. He scored 16 in a big win at Tennessee. The guy can play. He didn’t wow them at the NBA Combine. His vertical was nearly 10 inches lower than Sheppard’s. His agility wasn’t the best.
(And let's not gloss over -- Edwards wasn't getting the best advice. To bank on his potential for a draft spot after the combine instead of coming back to college basketball where he had real value and a great chance to develop more was a route that anyone could see was a long shot gamble. Anyone, that is, except his advisors, apparently.)
But for Calpari, who worked hard to become the safe choice for high school phenoms looking for quick and easy passage to the NBA, the tales of Edwards, Wagner and Bradhsaw should be cautionary.
It isn’t the sure thing it used to be.
“The reality is that nothing was what we expected at Kentucky this year," Adam Finkelstein, 247Sports' Director of Scouting, told CBSports.com. "Sheppard was way better than anyone expected. Rob Dillingham too. Justin Edwards, DJ Wagner, and Aaron Bradshaw all underachieved relative to their five-star expectations."
They weren’t the only five-star guys in the class to fall. Maybe it was just a poor year for recruiting services. Maybe the class, in the end, just wasn’t that strong.
Maybe all of the above is true.
Calipari no doubt will receive praise for a guy like Sheppard rising to the No. 3 overall pick. His string of first-round success continues. But this year, he may be more remembered for the three five-star guys who dropped out of the draft altogether.
And in recruiting, where three years ago qualifies as ancient history, missing with three can't-miss guys means something for high-end players, who not only are looking to make money now, but to make bigger money later.
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