Film Room: Alex Wilkins

Coach Mark Pope has turned over the Kentucky backcourt to begin the off-season recruiting efforts. There remain plenty of holes to fill on the Wildcats’ roster, but it appears that playmaking was a focus. First, Zoom Diallo announced his commitment and was penciled in to be the 2026-2027 PG1. Then, on Saturday, April 18th, Alex Wilkins joined Diallo by committing to the ‘Cats. Wilkins is yet another very high usage, high assist rate point guard. There may be some statistical redundancy when you look at their respective roles last season, but after a year where dribbling and passing ability was so hard to find having two of the best playmakers from the transfer portal seems like a good problem to have. Wilkins should fit in seamlessly with Diallo in a high-upside Kentucky backcourt.

The 6’5″ guard averaged an impressive 17.8 points and 4.7 assists per game as a freshman at Furman. It was immediately clear that Wilkins was a high-major talent. He went on to lead the Paladins to 22 wins and an NCAA Tournament berth as a #15-seed. Wilkins scored 21 points and dished out four assists in a First Round 82-71 loss to eventual National Runner-Up UConn.

Putting up impressive counting stats while contributing to winning and being one of the highest usage players in all of college basketball as a freshman is incredibly impressive. There is some legitimate star power when it comes to Wilkins’ game. He creates his own shot so effortlessly, has outstanding court vision, and at 6’5″ checks a lot of boxes in terms of positional size. The duo of Diallo and Wilkins is definitely an upgrade talent-wise from what the ‘Cats had in their backcourt last season.

As always, we’ve been hard at work inside the KSR Film Room breaking down Kentucky’s latest commitment. Alex Wilkins brings some legitimate star power to Lexington. He was elite as a freshman on a winning team while carrying one of the highest usage rates in the country. With a 34.7% assist rate, per KenPom, he was one of the best overall playmakers in the country as well. Wilkins made 65 three-point shots at 32.8% so he is a good, but not great shooting threat. However, the volume is encouraging as is the fact that he shot 37.0% on catch-and-shoot threes according to Synergy. Both Wilkins and Diallo should be able to create more catch-and-shoot opportunities for each other which is where they thrive as shooters. Let’s dive on in and take a closer look at what the ‘Cats are getting in Alex Wilkins.

Shot-Making Ability (Two-Point Range)

Scoring from inside the arc in the Southern Conference isn’t the same as scoring from inside the arc in the Southeastern Conference. Alex Wilkins was very efficient at the rim, and from two-point range in general, as a freshman. Those numbers won’t automatically translate to a higher level, but there is reason for optimism when it comes to Wilkins’ transition to high-major basketball. He is fluidly athletic off of the dribble, has the requisite positional size, and has proven skill from every area on the floor. Per Synergy, Wilkins rated highly as both the pick-and-roll ball handler and in isolation. His 60.6% shooting on layups shows that he can finish inside. For context, Denzel Aberdeen (58.2%), Otega Oweh (55.5%), and Collin Chandler (46.2%) were all lower last season.

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This is the type of fluidity off of the dribble that Kentucky simply did not have last season. Alex Wilkins, with his length at 6’5″, can cover so much ground in just a few dribbles. It is also impressive to see how quickly he gets downhill at the point of attack to reject this ballscreen. Wilkins is able to get all the way to the SoCon logo in just three dribbles and finishes with a floater. That level of individual shot creation will be come in handy for the ‘Cats in 2026-2027.

We talked about this when breaking down Zoom Diallo’s film and it is true for Alex Wilkins as well. Yes, defenses might choose to go under ballscreens and handoffs in order stay between him and the basket. However, their explosiveness off of the dribble allows them to use that space as a runway to get to the rim. That is what you see from Wilkins in this clip. The defender goes under, Wilkins attacks, and is able to play through contact for a physical layup. He also displayed impressive touch being able to kiss the floater high up off of the glass to avoid the tall secondary defender.

Wilkins displays some real creativity at the end of his drives. The final “heavy step” that he takes with his left foot in this clip slows down his pace enough to catch the secondary defender in the air and then allows Wilkins to fall away from an uncontested jumper. Moves like this are why he was able to shoot at such a high percentage around the basket.

If you are worried about how Alex Wilkins will transition from a mid-major to the Southeastern Conference just go watch their NCAA Tournament game against UConn. You could argue he was the best player on the floor for large portions of the game. Once again, the fluidity with which he changes direction off of the bounce is so impressive. Nobody on Kentucky’s team was making a move like this last season. Wilkins drives it left off of the ballscreen, absorbs contact, changes direction with a behind-the-back dribble, and then finishes the And-1 over a larger defender. That’s a big time move for a freshman against the eventual National Runner-Up.

Kentucky’s guards struggled to finish at the rim last season. They simply didn’t have the skill or explosiveness necessary to score consistently against bigger defenders. Wilkins brings creativity, explosiveness, and skill to the table in the backcourt. He also seeks out scoring over simply getting fouled. That is what stands out in this clip. Wilkins did what it took to get the ball up on the glass as opposed to simply seeking the foul. What an athletic, creative finish.

Shot-Making Ability (Three-Point Range)

One of the first questions that comes with any addition to Kentucky’s roster is “can he shoot?” Admittedly, the raw numbers aren’t outstanding with Alex Wilkins. You wouldn’t necessarily call him a proven knockdown shooter at the collegiate level. However, as you dive deeper, there are a lot of reasons for cautious optimism about how his shooting can translate, and even expand, as a sophomore in Lexington.

First and foremost, he made 65 three-point shots in 35 games as a freshman for an NCAA Tournament team. That is enough volume that your percentage, which was 32.8%, becomes less important. He also shot 40-108 (37.0%) on catch-and-shoot threes which he will, likely, shoot more of while playing next to Zoom Diallo. There is reason to believe he can approach that catch-and-shoot percentage more so than overall percentage as a sophomore.

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It is always encouraging when you see transfers scoring in ways that directly translate to Kentucky. Here you see Wilkins playing out of Zoom Action. After setting the downscreen he pops for a catch and then comes off of a ballscreen. Per Synergy, Wilkins ranks in the 75th percentile of points per possession scored as the pick-and-roll ball handler. He does an outstanding job of creating separation for this step-back three-pointer.

The catch-and-shoot numbers for Alex Wilkins are encouraging. He shot 40-108 (37.0%) on catch-and-shoot threes as a freshman at Furman. For context, Collin Chandler was 49-132 (37.1%) as a sophomore at Kentucky. It seems fair to assume that Wilkins could expand to that sort of volume without any changes in his percentage. However, being able to increase his percentage off of the dribble is where he will take the next step. If he can simply get to the point where he makes them when the defense goes under, like you see in this clip, it will go a long way for Wilkins’ transition to Kentucky.

One of Alex Wilkins’ best three-point shooting performances of the season came in the NCAA Tournament. The freshman guard was 4-8 from deep against the eventual National Runner-Up. In this clip, you see him cut it to five with 6:41 to play. Wilkins has the necessary footwork to get himself open on the perimeter, has proven to have deep range, and is very reliable when left open beyond the arc. On top of his 37.0% catch-and-shoot percentage he also shot 44.7% on uncontested catch-and-shoot threes.

There were some national media members who questioned Coach Pope’s decision to take both Zoom Diallo and Alex Wilkins because of a belief that they aren’t comfortable playing off of the ball. However, it would seem reasonable to assume that two elite playmakers with strong catch-and-shoot numbers would actually benefit from playing alongside one another. This clip showcases what it could like for Wilkins playing off of the ball. He slides up to the top of the key as another ball handler plays off of a ballscreen. Wilkins’ defender is a bit short on the closeout which proves to be costly. The deep range is definitely some that pops on film when watching Wilkins on the perimeter.

We’ve seen Wilkins make a couple off of the dribble, an area which he will need to improve, and make them from the catch, which is a strength of his. However, we haven’t yet shown him making a three on the move. That is what you see here. Wilkins had the keys to the car at Furman and created a lot of offense for himself and others off of the dribble. He was able to make some threes on the move while operating off of screening action as well. Here, he receives a flare screen, fades off of it, and nails the catch-and-shoot look. The way that Wilkins worked his way down to the point of the screen and then exploded into his cut really stood out. Zoom Diallo, and the structure of Kentucky’s offense in general, can help create looks like this for him next season.

Playmaking Ability

Improving in the playmaking department was clearly a priority for Coach Pope and his staff this offseason. There have been recruiting misses and reasons for frustration along the way, but the ‘Cats did land two of the best pure playmakers in the transfer portal. Zoom Diallo will likely be the de facto starting point guard, but Alex Wilkins posted a 34.7% assist rate last season averaging 4.7 assists per game. Only John Wall (34.8% – 2010), Ashton Hagans (36.3% – 2020), and Sahvir Wheeler (35.5% – 2022) have reached that number at Kentucky since 2010. Pairing two elite playmakers in the backcourt together will ensure that this is the best dribbling and passing team we have seen in Coach Pope’s tenure.

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There was nobody on Kentucky’s team this past season who could make this play. Alex Wilkins will bring a different level of court vision and passing ability to the Wildcats’ backcourt. Wilkins played with good pace off of the ballscreen, but got bottled up at the elbow due to a lack of spacing. However, he had the wherewithal to pick up his dribble and deliver a perfect cross-court pass to an open shooter in the corner. The ability to so quickly read the weak side defender and correctly decide between hitting the baseline cutter or the shooter in the corner is very impressive.

We saw Kentucky get to a point in 2025-2026 where they were pretty comfortable playing out of the short roll. Hopefully, Malachi Moreno will be even better at it as a sophomore and the incoming 4-men can score in this manner as well. Wilkins does an excellent job here of throwing the pocket pass and providing a runway on the roll for his big man. He is going to attract enough attention in the pick-and-roll to create some large passing lanes like you see here.

This is an important clip to watch because it shows Wilkins playmaking from the catch. Playing alongside Zoom Diallo he won’t necessarily get to dribble as often as he did at Furman. Therefore, he will have to learn how to attack off the catch more often. You can see in this clip that he can do exactly that. Wilkins explodes past his man with a quick first step, draws a secondary defender, and whips a pass to an open three-point shooter. This is exactly what it could look like with Diallo and Wilkins in the backcourt together.

Furman is a very good mid-major, but Wilkins will be surrounded by more talent at Kentucky as a sophomore. During his freshman season he had to throw so many pinpoint passes and really throw guys open. He did an excellent job of leading the roll man here and creating a layup for his teammate. However, at Kentucky, his teammates will likely be able to create more separation at times and make his life a little bit easier. To that point, it is possible that his playmaking skills actually get accentuated while taking a step up in level.

Alex Wilkins Evaluation

Shot-creation and playmaking lead the story for this 6’5″ point guard. His catch-and-shoot numbers as a freshman indicate that he can be effective playing away from the ball. However, it shouldn’t be overlooked that he was one of the highest usage players in the country as a freshman. There is a comfortability that comes with always having the ball in your hands and he will have to adjust to sharing the backcourt with another very high usage player in Zoom Diallo at Kentucky. Wilkins is long and athletic, but lacks physical strength. Becoming even a passable defender, along with limiting turnovers, will be two major keys to his development at the high-major level. You can’t teach his court vision and overall passing ability though. Wilkins is a high-level playmaker with legitimate star power down the road.