6 starters, 5 spots

UK head coach John Calipari has six starters.

According to James Naismith, he can only put five on the court to begin the game.

“It’s a good problem to have,” Calipari said after his team’s 125-40 demolition of Morehouse. “Let me put it that way.”

The NBA scouts passing through Lexington — “and just about every one has,” Calipari said — have said the same thing: UK has six starters. Four of those spots, for Anthony Davis, Terrence Jones, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist and Marquis Teague, are locked in place.

Which leaves either senior Darius Miller, last year’s SEC Tournament MVP, or sophomore Doron Lamb, one of the best shooters in the nation and a player Calipari thinks could end up a top-15 NBA pick, to start the game on the bench.

Who it should be matters less than you think.

“They’re both really good,” Calipari said. “That battle for a spot, I think, takes them to another level.”

Being a “starter” does not necessarily equate to being “one of the five best players on the team.” Whoever comes off the bench needs to avoid buying into the traditional perception of what a starter means.

The decision will be made looking purely through the prism of the first four to eight minutes of a game. Whoever gives UK the best options, the most energy, in the opening minutes is the best fit for a starter. It’s why freshman Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, who was most expected to be the sixth man before the season, is now a guaranteed starter. He gives UK instant energy from the opening tip. It’s also odd, because it seemed like he would be best equipped to come off the bench based on his mentality.

It will also be a matchup decision based on what opponent UK is facing. Last season, Calipari brought either Lamb or DeAndre Liggins off the bench, depending on whether he wanted a shooter or defender. The same could happen this year. Being named a starter does not mean you serve a year-long term. It means you start that game, and that game only.

And some of it may be based on who can handle the decision better. UK has plenty of talent to thrive no matter who is the fifth guy on the floor, but it has plenty to lose if the benched player gets upset. Will Lamb take objection to being asked to be a “supersub” for a second year in a row? Will Miller be disgruntled at coming off the bench during his senior season?

I don’t think the answer is yes in either case, but Calipari knows the players better than anyone and can work through any potential issues. He’s been in the ear of the team and the media since before the season, preaching that it doesn’t matter who starts the game, it matters who ends the game (a whole separate issue that will warrant attention as the season progresses).

Someone, though, has to be that guy. If I had to weigh in (although I hate to do it, because it’s so early in the season and because I make no qualms about saying I know way less about who should start than, say, John Calipari does), I would say Miller should probably come off the bench. Not that bringing Lamb off the bench doesn’t have its advantages; doing so would allow him to give more minutes as the backup point guard, something UK could definitely use.

But Miller seems to not fit as naturally with new players. Over the summer, he struggled playing on a U.S. national team despite getting plenty of minutes. And if you’re going for a solid, constant presence for the opening minutes, Lamb is more of a consistent force. Look at the fluctuations in the shot percentages over the course of last season. Miller had to find his way early. Lamb’s numbers held steady.
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If the sixth man can overcome the label of being an “off-the-bench” player, there should be no problems. Every one of the six will get an even distribution of minutes. The minutes played for the top six against Transylvania: 31, 29, 28, 27, 26, 25. Against Morehouse: 24, 24, 23, 23, 20, 17. In neither game was the player who got the least minutes Lamb or Miller.

They’ll both see plenty of time, and that’s for the better.