Kentucky basketball: 3 Hunter Dickinson backup plans for John Calipari

Kentucky basketball: John Calipari could turn to former National Player of the Year Oscar Tshiebwe

Laugh all you want, but this is a real possibility. At the moment, Oscar Tshiebwe has thrown his hat into the mix for the NBA Draft. He’ll have a couple weeks to decide whether or not he wants to remain in the draft or return to coach John Calipari and the Kentucky Wildcats.

You’re still laughing. Tshiebwe has one more year of eligibility remaining. Tshiebwe returned to the Kentucky basketball team last season after winning the National Player of the Year Award in 2021-22. So why is it such a strange notion to think that Tshiebwe would return next season?

Look, Tshiebwe made a lot of money last year via NIL. It was reported that he made more money than any other athlete in college basketball. According to The Athletic (subscription required), that number was bordering on $3-million.

Tshiebwe is one of those players who’s tremendous in college, but his game doesn’t necessarily translate as well to the pros. Many mock drafts have Tshiebwe going as late as Round 2, and some don’t even forecast the big man being drafted at all.

John Calipari is not going to stand in the way of Oscar Tshiebwe heading for greener pastures. But with the NIL potential and the prospects of him missing out on being drafted all together, don’t be shocked if Tshiebwe returns to UK this fall.