Two 2022-23 Kentucky Wildcats Invited to NBA G League Combine

Kentucky basketball still has plenty of roster construction to work out as it prepares for the 2023-24 season. The Wildcats swung and missed on Hunter Dickinson, as the big man is transferring from Michigan to Kansas.

UK has some eggs in some other baskets, but what it's really waiting on is the decisions of three players currently testing the NBA draft waters. Forwards Oscar Tshiebwe, Chris Livingston and shooting guard Antonio Reeves are all yet to announce decisions as to whether or not they will stay in the draft or come back to UK.

Tshiebwe is of course the big fish, but early indications are that Reeves will be the lone Cat to make his return to the Bluegrass for next season. He, along with former Wildcat Jacob Toppin, were both invitees to the NBA G League Combine, per Adam Zagoria of ZAGSBLOG.com:

This is the updated NBA G League Combine list which includes ⁦⁦@UConnMBB⁩ G Tristen Newton

⁦@UConnMBB⁩ also has Sanogo, Hawkins and Jackson invited to the main NBA Combine pic.twitter.com/14HroTzT3O
— Adam Zagoria (@AdamZagoria) May 5, 2023

The camp is set to be held from May 13-14 in Chicago. The event will end just two days before the draft combine, which will be on May 16, also in the Windy City. The top players from the camps will receive invites to the combine.

Reeves, a Chicago native, announced his entry into the draft waters on April 4. In his lone season in Lexington, Reeves was second on the team in scoring, averaging 14.4 points-per-game, while adding 2.1 rebounds and 1.1 assists a night. He shot 41.6 percent from the floor and a career-high 39.8 percent from 3-point range.

Like the rest of his teammates, Reeves had his ups and downs in the 2022-23 campaign, but he proved to be one of the top scoring threats in the SEC at points in the season. He reached double-figures in 26 of 34 games, making 14 starts along the way. He was named the SEC Co-Sixth Man of the Year.

The sharpshooter eclipsed 20 points in four of Kentucky's final six games, including a 37-point outburst in the Cats' road win at Arkansas to close out the regular season, in which he shot 12-17 from the field and made all 11 of his free-throw attempts. He shot 78.3 percent from the free-throw line.

Toppin's decision to declare for the draft came on March 31. His career began at Rhode Island, where the forward averaged 18.5 minutes a game, making three starts across 30 games. He averaged 5.1 points and 3.9 rebounds in bench role as a freshman.

He then hit the transfer portal and wound up in Lexington. He found a much similar role in his first two years as a Wildcat, playing in 53 games but making just six starts. He averaged around 17 MPG both seasons, averaging 5.2 PPG and 3.5 RPG as a sophomore, then 6.2 PPG and 3.2 RPG last season.

Ahead of his senior campaign, expectations grew for the brother of the former consensus National Player of the Year and current New York Knick, Obi. Jacob Toppin was labeled as a "breakout" candidate, someone who was going to elevate his game to the next level, boosting his NBA draft stock in the process.

He went on to finish his senior season with a bang, as he scored 20 or more points in 16 of his final 20 games, recording seven double-doubles along the way. He finished his this season averaging 12.4 points, 6.8 rebounds and 2.2 assists. Across three seasons as a Cat, he averaged 8.3 points and 4.7 rebounds.

More on the soon-to-be Wildcats HERE.

Inside Kentucky basketball's somber locker room after NCAA Tourney defeat HERE.

More on the potential roster overhaul in Lexington HERE.

More on the loss to Kansas State HERE.

Want the latest on national football and basketball recruiting, including Cats targets? Head over to SI All-American for the latest news, blogs, and updates about the nation's best prospects.

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