Oscar Tshiebwe replacement at Kentucky is painfully obvious

If Kentucky loses big man Oscar Tshiebwe this year, the school’s fallback plan is clear as day: Get its hands on Hunter Dickinson.

Heading into the 2023-24 season, the Kentucky Wildcats’ central question shouldn’t be, “Will Oscar Tshiebwe spurn the NBA Draft again?”

It should be, “Can we get Hunter Dickinson?”

Tshiebwe enjoyed a career-best season last year, serving as one of the team’s lone bright spots as Kentucky stumbled to a No. 6 seed in the NCAA Tournament and got knocked out shortly after by Kansas State.

It was a two-and-done for the Wildcats who boasted a talented squad with Tshiebwe, Jacob Toppin, and others but came unraveled by poor defense and careless mistakes.

Having Tshiebwe back in the lineup for next season, should the big man change his mind about the NBA once more, would theoretically provide a major boost in confidence for Kentucky.

Rather than loiter around waiting for Tshiebwe to make up his mind, the Wildcats can and should pursue its future star in Michigan’s Hunter Dickinson.

Sounds like Kentucky are already starting to sweet-talk Dickinson into joining the team:

Kentucky can upgrade from Oscar Tshiebwe by nabbing Michigan’s Hunter Dickinson

Last month, Dickinson made the shocking move to enter the transfer portal following three transcendental seasons at Michigan.

The 7-foot-1 center led the team in scoring and rebounding in each of his seasons, and Dickinson also earned two All-Big Ten first-team selections along with a second-team All-American selection back in his freshman year. He possesses the skills of both an elite rim-protector and surprisingly strong 3-point shooter and would elevate any roster in the nation.

Perhaps the oddest thing about Dickinson’s choice to transfer is that no one really knows why he wants to leave. He hasn’t publicly given a concrete reason for his transfer, albeit the most obvious one is simply that he wants a better shot to win the national championship.

Dickinson helped the Wolverines get tantalizingly close to the Final Four in his freshman and sophomore seasons. Then, last year, Michigan missed the NCAA Tournament altogether, and it would appear the school doesn’t hold the core roster pieces to make a strong postseason push in 2023.

In Kentucky where the blood is blue, the Wildcats perennially have a path to the championship under John Calipari. The need is also there as Kentucky center Ugonna Onyenso entered the portal and there’s a good chance Tshiebwe actually leaves for the pros.

A Kentucky-Hunter Dickinson link-up could be a massive win-win for both sides, and it could heavily tip the scales in favor of the Wildcats for next year’s March Madness.

Dickinson is getting courted from all sides this year, so we’ll just have to see if Kentucky wins the race to sign the big man.