College Insider Lists 3 Lakers Among Top 5 Kentucky Players In John Calipari Era

One of the best schools of the past two decades.

Known for being a talent factory for the NBA, when it comes to colleges, few have been as successful in turning prospects into pros as the Kentucky Wildcats under John Calipari. 

Among the best of the many great rookies to emerge from the university, Anthony Davis' talents are well known, but one of his former teammates from two locations also appears atop the list of Kentucky's best prep to pro players in recent memory. 

Demarcus Cousins

came in with John Wall and teamed up to earn 35 wins and a trip to the East Regional Finals. Cousins led the SEC in total rebounds while finishing top five in the conference in blocks and field goal percentage. His performance earned him first-team All-SEC and second-team Consensus All-American honors. 

via Jamie Shaw, On3.com

Paired alongside Boogie for his time in New Orleans, Cousins paired up with Davis again in LA for the 2020 season before suffering a similarly catastrophic injury that ultimately ended his Pelicans tenure. 

Never playing a game for the Lakers, Cousins would find his way across the league before heading overseas, unlike another former teammate of Davis' who is now a divisional rival. 

In his one year at Kentucky,

Malik Monk

led the league with 754 total points, which was also seventh nationally. His 39.7 percent also led the SEC in three-point shooting. Monk’s on-court performance won him the SEC Player of the Year and Rookie of the Year honors, as well as second-team Consensus All-American. Monk’s team won 32 games that season. They were the SEC regular season champions and finished No. 5 in the final AP Poll. 



via Jamie Shaw, On3.com

Now on a rising Kings team with fellow Kentucky All-Star De'Aaron Fox, Sacramento's roster will have plenty of chances to go up against Davis and the Lakers this year for the Pacific division crown. 

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