WILDCATS

UK freshman Trey Lyles a not-so-small forward

Kyle Tucker

LEXINGTON, Ky. – From an opponent's perspective, there are many scary things about the University of Kentucky basketball team. Chief among them: a preponderance of talent and preposterous size.

Somewhere high on that list, a freshman who epitomizes both. In Trey Lyles, the top-ranked Wildcats have a 6-foot-10 "small forward," a McDonald's All-American who despite that height can dribble, pass and shoot like a legitimate perimeter player.

"He's really skilled," coach John Calipari said. "Really skilled."

Now for the most fear-inducing part: Lyles, who ESPN projects will be a first-round NBA draft pick next summer, is coming off Kentucky's bench. At least he will when the Cats open their season Friday against Grand Canyon. Lyles is part of the second wave in Calipari's two-platoon system.

That's thanks in part to a leg injury that kept him out of summer workouts and the team's six exhibition games in the Bahamas. He's not yet fully up to speed and in shape after having surgery to remove what he described as "just a little chipped something" in his leg.

"Definitely behind," Lyles said, "but I think I'm coming up with the guys pretty quickly. Hopefully in the next week or so I'll be right there with them."

He's doing post-practice drills and after-hours time on a treadmill to improve his conditioning.

"He's still not offensive rebounding the way he needs to. He's still not running the court the way he needs to. He's got to step it up," Calipari said. "But he's where the twins (Andrew and Aaron Harrison) were last year, where he didn't have the summer and he just got back into it."

Still, in two exhibition games against albeit overmatched NAIA teams, Lyles has already shown flashes of what he can be. In 37 combined minutes, he produced 25 points, 12 rebounds, three assists, two blocked shots and two steals. He hit 11 of 19 shots, including a pair of 3-pointers.

He drove baseline and swished a runner, powered down the lane for a sky-high slam, drained a baby hook and nailed back-to-back threes in Sunday's rout of Georgetown College.

"I think my game is more based around fundamentals," Lyles said. "That's something I've been working on since I started playing basketball. I model myself after Tim Duncan. My dad really had me watch him when I was little."

Duncan is arguably the greatest power forward in NBA history, a hyper-skilled big man known as "The Big Fundamental." Not a bad guy to mimic.

"He surprised me," UK center Dakari Johnson said. "I really hadn't watched him play before he got here, but the first couple days of practice he's shooting threes. He's really a (small forward). He's a 6-10 three-man. He's just very versatile.

"I really enjoy playing with him. He's really an unselfish player … a great player."

Video:Trey Lyles at UK media day

Most would see Lyles and see a power forward or center. But Kentucky has seven players who are 6-8 or taller, including 6-11 freshman Karl-Anthony Towns and 7-footers Johnson and Willie Cauley-Stein. If Lyles and 6-8 junior Alex Poythress want to play major minutes this season, it will likely have to be at small forward.

Those two have been honing their skills accordingly in and after practice.

"It forces me to get down and defend," Lyles said. "Me and Alex, that's what we do in practice. We do the guard stuff – and also the big stuff. But then after practice, we get in there and we shoot jumpers by ourselves, work on our ball handling."

When opponents see what he can do at that size, "I definitely don't think they expect it."

Always pushing for more, Calipari chooses to focus on the flaws. Sometimes, instead of using a jump stop, Lyles will barrel through a defender. He'll occasionally pass up a good shot and dribble into a bad one. All rookie mistakes or "high school moves," as Calipari calls them.

"But," said the coach, "he's a terrific player."

Kyle Tucker can be reached at (502) 582-4361. Follow him on Twitter @KyleTucker_CJ.