Jaland Lowe Gives Kentucky a New Dimension

Jaland Lowe has the quickness and crafty moves to enable him to get where he wants to go on offense. (Vicky Graff Photo)

Kentucky fans had been waiting for Pittsburgh transfer Jaland Lowe to make his UK debut and the junior point guard did not disappoint.

Lowe finished with six points on 2-for-7 shooting and missed his two 3-point tries but Lowe’s worth cannot be measured by his scoring. He had five assists in only 18 minutes and more importantly did not have a turnover. He also had two rebounds in the 107-59 romp over Valparaiso.

“Jaland Lowe is so crafty with the ball. He does a great job finding open gaps. He really understands angles on how to score. He gives Kentucky a whole new dimension,” said SEC Network analyst Travis Ford, a former UK point guard under coach Rick Pitino.

“He really gave fans a glimpse of what can do. He is a proven player at the highest level. He is very quick and hard to stop one on one.”

The timing could not be more perfect. Lowe did not play in exhibition games against Purdue and Georgetown. He did not play in the season opener against Nicholls. He injured his shoulder in the Blue-White Game and his absence gave coach Mark Pope a chance to experiment with who could play point guard if Lowe is out.

However, Kentucky plays Louisville Tuesday and to win that game, Pope and the Cats need a healthy and productive Lowe. He got a chance to play, shake the rust off and get acclimated to game action again before the top 10 showdown in the Yum Center.

Kentucky shot 54 percent (37 of 68) from the field and 39 percent (11 of 28) from 3. The Cats had 27 assists on the 37 made hosts and seven players had two or more assists led by Lowe and Jasper Johnson with five each. Just having Lowe back — and playing a lesser opponent — let the offense get in sync.

Lowe, though, makes plays that don’t show up in the box score. Just consider:

— Despite having a brace on his right shoulder, he dove on the floor for a loose ball.

— He deflected an inbounds pass off a Valparaiso player when the Cats went to a full-court press.

— He came close to making a steal on a 3-on-1 Valpo fast break.

— He got a defensive rebound in traffic, took the bump, dribbled twice and threw a quick outlet to Mo Dioubate that led to a layup.

“What I liked about Lowe is that he is a scorer and led Pitt in scoring last year but he is a very willing passer,” Ford said. “He makes the right play at the right time. He doesn’t over dribble. He did his job to draw the defense and then find the right man (with a pass). He can get to where he wants to go in a hurry

“His game is such a weapon for Kentucky and the things he can do takes Kentucky to another level. This is the best team he has played on and he is surrounded by a lot of talent and showed he is a willing passer and playmaker. He makes this team a lot better.”

And just in time for Kentucky to go play its biggest rival.