Since he was hired in 2009, Kentucky coach John Calipari has churned out high-level talent that can play at the next level. In his first season alone with the Wildcats, he produced three lottery picks in John Wall (No. 1 overall), DeMarcus Cousins (No. 5) and Patrick Patterson (No. 14).
Since 2010, Kentucky has produced 22 lottery selections, by far the most of any school during that time frame. The Wildcats have had three No. 1 overall picks since in Wall, Anthony Davis (2012) and Karl Anthony-Towns (2015).
Calipari has produced a handful of top-flight guard talent, too. Though he did not start in his lone season in Lexington, Devin Booker has gone on to have an impressive career with the Phoenix Suns and led them to the NBA Finals in 2021. He is considered one of the top players at his position heading into his ninth season.
Some of the players on this list, such as Wall and Cousins, already reached their peak at the NBA level. Others like Booker, Shai-Gilgeous-Alexander and De’Aaron Fox are fully in their prime. Here is the list of the greatest NBA players at their peak out of Kentucky coached by Calipari.
1. Anthony Davis
When Davis is healthy, he is one of the best players in the world. In his 11-year NBA career, Davis has averaged 24 points, 10.4 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 2.3 blocks. Davis in his lone season at Kentucky complied one of the best defensive seasons in NCAA history, and those traits directly carried over to the NBA. After starting his career with the Pelicans, Davis was traded to the Los Angeles Lakers and created a championship-caliber 1-2 punch with LeBron James. He is an eight-time NBA All-Star, made the All-NBA First Team four times and appeared on the All-Defensive Team four times. Injuries have been an issue for Davis during his time in Los Angeles, but it’s hard to argue that another player on this list has been better at the top of his game than Davis.
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