Now that the Wisconsin men’s basketball season is over, it’s time to reflect on the season. Over the year, we dissected each game. Now, it’s time to grade the players. I’m only going to do the rotation players. First, I will start with my Wisconsin Basketball player grades for the guards.
Wisconsin Basketball Player Grades: Starting Guards
Chucky Hepburn: B-
Chucky Hepburn was asked to do a lot this season for the Badgers. Last season, he had the ability to let Johnny Davis and Brad Davison take on that role. This year, it was his show. We never saw Hepburn consistent for a long stretch. He had an incredible game at Marquette and was awesome in the first half of the NIT semi-final against North Texas. He ended the year a 41% three-point shooter and 12.2 points a game. Both led the team.
Shot section was a questionable part of Chucky’s game this season. Too often, we saw him settle for a step-back jump shot that’s too low a percentage. Taking over in the shot clock isn’t a strength of Hepburn’s game. But if Greg Gard will have him run the point, Hepburn will have to improve in that area.
Max Klesmit: B+
Max Klesmit gets a B+ in my Wisconsin Basketball player grades. Klesmit ended up being a solid transfer get for Greg Gard. The native of Neenah, Wisconsin, showed why he’s a good defender and can score the ball when asked. In 32 minutes a game, Klesmit averaged eight points a game and usually had to defend the opposing team’s best guard. He ended up being the vocal leader of this team when they needed it.
Sometimes I felt Klesmit was too passive on the offensive side. He does have to spend a lot of energy on the other side, but it’s usually always only a great look when he chooses to shoot. It will be interesting to see if he brings the ball up more next season, and we see Hepburn more of a spot-up shooter.
Connor Essegian: A-
Connor Essegian was everything Badger fans wanted to see. I knew he would make an impact shooting the ball, but I did not see him playing 27 minutes a game and starting almost 20 games as a true freshman. Not only was he a good shooter, but he was also very good at being off the ball and consistently moving around. This resulted in open jump shots and open cuts to the basket.
The defense will need to improve for Essegian to get a true A in my Wisconsin Basketball player grades. Near the end of the season, it was clear he was being targeted by the opponents. He knows that, and I fully expect that side to improve next season as a sophomore.
Wisconsin Basketball Player Grades: Off-the-Bench Guards
Jordan Davis: C+
Jordan Davis ended up starting 16 games for the Badgers. Like Essegian, I thought he was really good off the ball and had a ton of open layups as a result. He was also willing to get rebounds and do the little things.
With Davis now in the transfer portal, being more consistent as a shooter will go a long way for him. He was too inconsistent despite making some huge shots. I hope he can figure that out and succeed wherever he next lands.
Kamari McGee: C
Kamari McGee’s slow start is reflected in my Wisconsin Basketball player grades. At one point, he was completely out of the rotation. However, he took it as an opportunity to improve and earned rotation minutes in the second half of the season. He made a lot of 50/50 plays and was a good free-throw shooter at 88%.
If McGee continues to be a rotational point guard, he must improve on the offensive side. He only shot 28% from the field and didn’t look to shoot much when on the court. He is a smaller guard, but I would like to see him execute more off the dribble and to the rim more. If he can improve that part of his game, he could be playing 15 minutes a game next season.
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