Kentucky coach Mark Pope has been forced to use Denzel Aberdeen at point guard way more than he envisioned this season. (Vicky Graff Photo)
By LARRY VAUGHT
Kentucky certainly would like to have point guard Jaland Lowe back when it hosts North Carolina Tuesday night in a top 20 showdown that will give coach Mark Pope’s team a chance to beat a ranked team for the first time this season.
The Pittsburgh transfer has only played in two of UK’s seven games. In his two games, he averaged 7.5 points, 5.0 assists, 1.5 rebounds and 1.0 steals per game. However, he shot only 26.7 percent (4-for-15) in those two games.
“There was no question Jalen Lowe would be an elite offensive point guard, especially surrounded by more talented players at Kentucky than he had in the past,” Sporting News columnist Mike DeCourcy said on The Leach Report. “Then the question at point guard would be can you either hide him or improve him as a defender. As it turned out, you can’t get him on the floor.”
DeCourcy noted that forced Florida transfer Denzel Aberdeen goes from an elite third guard or secondary point guard who starts at the two guard like he was on Florida’s national championship team last season to the primary point guard.
“That is not a position (starting point guard) where he has extensive experience. He played the position a lot at Florida as the second point guard when Walter Clayton was out of games, but Walter didn’t sit a lot and Denzel was never the guy. He was the guy to get you back to the guy, and for now, he’s had to be the guy,” DeCourcy said. “That’s a significant change in his responsibility, and it’s a challenge.
“He has had moments where he’s been very good as a player, but he still hasn’t necessarily had moments where he’s been very good as your primary point guard. And that’s okay. It should be understandable.”
DeCourcy said he thought the reaction to UK’s loss to Michigan State was “over the top” considering it is so early in the season.
“They were not good. Obviously Mark Pope’s reaction was pretty severe and so I think people played off that a bit, but I don’t think it was calamitous to go out and get beaten badly,” DeCourcy said. “I thought there were problems with how they comported themselves when it got late and the results seemed to be away from them, but I think that’s easily handled.”
