Kentucky has a Big 3...but they might not even know it

Kentucky has a trio that they can build around that is dominating but isn't getting a lot of time together.

If I told you that Kentucky has a Big 3 on this year’s team, you might think I was accidentally watching film of the 2016-17 team (with Fox, Monk, and Bam) or the 2019-20 backcourt of Hagans, Maxey, and Quickley. Once I assured you I meant this year’s team, you’d probably need a few guesses to figure out that I’m talking about the trio of Dontaie Allen, Keion Brooks, and Isaiah Jackson. Most teams wouldn’t have a “Big 3” consisting of their 4th, 6th and 8th leading scorers, but that just encapsulates how bizarre this season has been for Kentucky. You might still not believe me, but by the end of this article you’ll be calling for Kentucky to build around this trio.

Nearly everything good lately traces back to them

Since Brooks returned from injury against Florida on January 9th, almost everything good that has happened for Kentucky has involved at least 2 of this big 3. Since that time, Kentucky has played 412 possessions and outscored opponents by 6 points. That break down as follows:

• 202 possessions with at least 2 of Allen/Brooks/Jackson, outscored opponents by +52 points

• 210 possessions with fewer than 2 of Allen/Brooks/Jackson, outscored by -46 points

17 UK lineups have at least 5 possessions played since Jan 9 and a positive +/-; 14 of these have 2 or more of Allen/Brooks/Jackson. 6 UK lineups have at least 5 possessions played since Jan 9 and a +/- of +5 or more; all 6 have 2 or more of Allen/Brooks/Jackson.

Over the past 6 games, UK has a positive scoring margin in 4 games when they’ve played 2 or more of our Big 3; Alabama managed to outscore them by 1 point in each of the 2 matchups. On the flipside, when UK plays less than 2 of the winning trio they have been outscored in every game except Florida (+5).

Strong fundamentals and roles

The underlying stats with the Big 3 are stunning, even when playing just 2 of them. Here are some key stats with 3, 2, or less than 2 of the Big 3:

Nearly every one of these gets progressively worse as Kentucky gets further away from playing all 3 of the Big 3 together! The Big 3 are able to hit from beyond the three point arc thanks to Allen, and Brooks and Jackson are able to lock down the paint on defense. In fact, each player brings something unique to the trio:

• Allen is obviously the three point marksman who creates floor spacing; he is hitting 43% of his threes in the last 6 games and 50% when playing alongside Brooks and Jackson

• Jackson is the shotblocker, rebounder, and interior scorer; when playing alongside Allen and Brooks he has a 67% effective Fg% and averages 21.5 points, 10.0 rebounds, and 4.3 blocks per 36 minutes

• Brooks is quietly having a very nice season, with 10.2 points and 5.3 rebounds in only 23 minutes per game, but he becomes a beast when playing with Jackson and Allen; he averages 21.5 pts and 14.3 rebounds per 36 minutes alongside them with a 63% effective Fg%, and has rebounded a stunning 21% of UK’s misses when he plays with the rest of the Big 3

Aside from their offensive and rebounding contributions, Jackson and Brooks have been solid defensively as well. Jackson is known for his highlight blocks, and Synergy rates him in the 89th percentile defensively. Brooks does not have that lofty of a reputation, but he’s a better alternative to Olivier Sarr and Jacob Toppin, who are both rated as poor defenders by Synergy in the 10th and 13th percentile. The mix of offense and defense with this trio just isn’t match by alternatives on Kentucky’s roster this season.

Playing time has been scarce

Despite the fact that Kentucky has been much better with the Big 3 in the game, they haven’t gotten much time together. All 3 have played together for just 41 possessions during the 6 games since Brooks returned, and their playing time has actually dwindled each game. In the January 26th meeting with Alabama, the Big 3 did not play together at all during the game. Kentucky only has 2 games this season where they played at least half the game with 2 or more of the Big 3 in the game, and those were the first 2 games where Brooks was available. Since then, their time has dropped a bit even as their results have been solid (below excludes garbage time):

• Jan 9th vs Florida: UK is +21 in 36 poss with 2+ of the Big 3, and +5 in 21 poss otherwise

• Jan 12th vs Alabama: UK is -1 in 48 poss with 2+ of the Big 3, and -14 in 24 poss otherwise

• Jan 16th vs Auburn: UK is +7 in 27 poss with 2+ of the Big 3, and -14 in 43 poss otherwise

• Jan 20th vs Georgia: UK is +9 in 29 poss with 2+ of the Big 3, and -10 in 42 poss otherwise

• Jan 23rd vs LSU: UK is +17 in 33 poss with 2+ of the Big 3, and -3 in 36 poss otherwise

• Jan 26th vs Alabama: UK is -1 in 29 poss with 2+ of the Big 3, and -10 in 44 poss otherwise

We’re now on 6 consecutive games where Kentucky has played at a high level with the Big 3 in the game and largely floundered when using other lineups. It’s even more dramatic when you look at the time with all of the Big 3 together:

• Jan 9th vs Florida: 12 poss, +12

• Jan 12th vs Alabama: 12 poss, +3

• Jan 16th vs Auburn: 6 poss, +4

• Jan 20th vs Georgia: 8 poss, +1

• Jan 23rd vs LSU: 3 poss, +0

• Jan 26th vs Alabama: Zero possessions

Just imagine what UK might be doing if they gave Allen, Brooks, and Jackson 25-30 possessions a game all together instead of just a handful.

There is a precedent for UK giving more time to a trio of players who have had impressive results in limited action together. Last season, Ashton Hagans, Immanuel Quickley, and Tyrese Maxey only played together for 74 possessions total in the first 8 games of the season, but UK was posting an adjusted margin of +39 points per 100 possessions with the three of them in vs +17 with only 2 of them in. I even wrote an article about it at the time calling for UK to make 3 guards their primary lineup. They did so, and only had two games the rest of the season where those 3 played less than 30 possessions together (when they were all available). It’s not as intuitive of a move as that one was, but if UK wants a chance to turn their season around they might want to make this Big 3 more of a focal point.