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Jaland Lowe and Jayden Quaintance were expected to be two of Kentucky’s top three players this season, along with Otega Oweh, the preseason SEC Player of the Year.
Lowe, the point guard transfer from Pitt, is now out for the season due to a shoulder injury. Quaintance, a potential NBA draft lottery pick who transferred from Arizona State, did not play until late December as he returned from a knee injury suffered last year, but he’s going to miss his fourth straight game tonight when UK hosts Texas because of swelling in his knee.
The 6-foot-10 sophomore has not played in the previous three games for the Wildcats since playing 18 ineffective minutes against Missouri on Jan. 7 in a game UK lost in Rupp Arena.
“He will not play tomorrow night, but he’s making progress,” Kentucky coach Mark Pope said Tuesday. “We’re super optimistic, and you know, he’s kind of going through the process, and hopefully he’ll be back soon. I know that’s not very descriptive, but I’m trying to be protective of him also.”
Pope should be protective of Quaintance, who almost certainly will be an NBA player if healthy. However, after playing in just four games and averaging five points and five rebounds per game in limited minutes, maybe he needs to consider the same decision Lowe made when he shut it down for the season.
If playing four games caused issues with the knee and has now sidelined him for the last four games, maybe it is time to consider that no matter how talented Quaintance is — and make no mistake about his talent — that UK could be better off knowing he won’t be back.
Freshman Malachi Moreno has been a dependable starting center and hit the game-winning shot at LSU. Brandon Garrison is an experienced backup.
Kentucky is 3-0 with three huge comeback wins since the last time Quaintance played. Maybe players can better understand their roles with a shorter rotation and a clearer sense of what to expect on a regular basis.
With Lowe out, Denzel Aberdeen has played his two best games in wins at LSU and Tennessee. Freshman Jasper Johnson got extended playing time at Tennessee and was brilliant in the first half. Collin Chandler not only has hit shots but also made the game-winning steal/play at Tennessee.
Moreno and Garrison battled inside in the second half at Tennessee and negated the Vols’ physicality. Most players play their best when they know their roles and what to expect.
So maybe what’s best for Quaintance’s future and Kentucky’s season is no more unknowns, let the talented big man continue to rehab, and let the remaining players accept roles knowing no more changes are coming.
10 Responses
It is obvious that JQ is not ready to play and will not play again in a KY uniform…he isn't going to risk his NBA future to help a divided Kentucky team.
I think many of us knew how this was going to play out for a long time. This will be at least 1 excuse for post season failure.
I hope professor is doing okay, love his insights of things. Haven't heard from him good while.
Was Professor having some problems? Also, wish the Pup would get back on board,
Not that I'm aware of Mike and yes would love to hear him back on board.
I've seen him be very effective and I've seen him be just completely non-effective like he's not even in the game so we'll see when he returns.
Agree…..not sure I have ever seen a player looks so good first game back after injury and then go other way following games. Now Kam has a broken foot so it never stops.
I just can't muster up any intrest for "Rent a player U" right now. Im so disgusted with all of it..
I agree with all of your comments!
As for the Professor, aO appreciate your kind words & interest. He’s a long time very good friend and I will say he is OK in general. His insight to the Cats & to the sport is really amazing. I get to see his analysis of games & projections, and the accuracy is astounding, so often within a few points.
Play or not, you can't ever blame someone for doing what is best for them, their family, and their future. I believe he will give it another try, if at all possible, because that is the kind of person he seems to be. He really wanted to come to UK, so that says a lot on how hard he is working to get back. This is where he wanted to be, even last year.
Even if he can't come back to playing in the games, he might be able to get some practice minutes and that would help all the front court players to get better. They aren't going to play against anyone much stronger than he is, so if they could go against him in some practices, that would go towards helping the team in a different way.
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