Kentucky basketball is counting on its new-look backcourt to provide plenty of scoring, playmaking and versatility during the 2026-27 season, and Mark Pope believes Alex Wilkins could be one of the Wildcats’ biggest difference-makers.
After spending last season at Furman primarily operating as a point guard, Wilkins is expected to move into more of a two-guard role at Kentucky. He’ll share the backcourt with Zoom Diallo, with the two guards expected to interchange responsibilities and create a more pro-style offensive system.
Wilkins arrives in Lexington after an impressive season at Furman, where he averaged 17.8 points per game. He also showed that he could perform on the biggest stage, scoring 21 points against UConn in the NCAA Tournament while knocking down four of his eight attempts from three-point range.
Pope made it clear during Monday’s Media Day that Kentucky has high expectations for the talented guard.
“He’s really important to us,” Pope said. “You have some guys that are such high ceiling guys, and he’s a high ceiling guy.”
However, Kentucky has also been focused on helping Wilkins become a more efficient decision-maker.
Pope revealed that the Wildcats have spent significant time working with Wilkins on his two-point shooting and assist-to-turnover ratio. During one stretch of live play last week, Wilkins recorded 13 assists compared to just four turnovers while shooting 56 percent from inside the arc.
Those numbers represent the progress Kentucky has been looking for throughout the summer.
“Sometimes it’s hard to be a decision maker when you have so many options,” Pope said.
That could become an important part of Wilkins’ transition to Kentucky. With multiple capable scorers surrounding him, he won’t necessarily have to create every possession. Instead, he’ll have opportunities to attack closeouts, knock down catch-and-shoot threes and take advantage of the attention created by his teammates.
His partnership with Diallo could be especially important.
Wilkins believes the two guards complement one another because they can both handle the ball, create shots and attack the basket. Their competitiveness has also helped strengthen their chemistry.
“We both do so many similar things, and we both do so many different things,” Wilkins said. “He just does everything. He creates so much double gaps and creates so much openness for me.”
That versatility could make Kentucky’s backcourt difficult to defend.
With Diallo and Wilkins capable of switching between lead-guard and scoring responsibilities, opposing defenses may have difficulty determining where the next play is coming from.
For Wilkins, the opportunity is much bigger than simply replacing a role from Furman. Kentucky is giving him the freedom to become one of the central creators in a system built around versatile guards.
And if the progress Pope has seen during the offseason continues into the regular season, Wilkins could have a major opportunity to show just how high that ceiling really is.
