John Calipari says he’s coaching Skal Labissiere like ‘a normal player’
John Calipari isn’t taking the one-and-done approach with Skal Labissiere anymore.
The Kentucky freshman center was regarded as a potential number one pick when he arrived on campus, but he has struggled to make an impact and his stock has fallen a bit. Calipari hinted on Saturday that Labissiere might end up needing a second year.
"I am not coaching Skal like I did with Karl Towns where I know he is going to leave..now I am coaching him like a normal player" – Calipari
— Matt Jones (@KySportsRadio) January 3, 2016
Calipari may be managing expectations here, but Labissiere simply hasn’t been what people thought he’d be. That doesn’t mean he’s not as talented as he was when he arrived, but he needs to be refined and is still working on transitioning to the college level. He’s very, very raw, much more so than Karl-Anthony Towns was. The focus isn’t on getting Labissiere NBA ready, it’s on making him a better basketball player. Calipari has been very defensive of his prized freshman already, and as an added bonus, a second year at Kentucky could mean more sleepovers.
