Most every player on Kentucky's 2026-27 roster has a clear, predetermined role in the rotation. Milan Momcilovic will be the go-to guy on the offensive end, while Zoom Diallo will run the floor from the point guard spot. Malachi Moreno is your playmaking anchor, and Kam Williams looks to be the immediate sixth man ready to make a scoring impact off the bench. It all makes simple sense.
All of it except for Braydon Hawthorne, at least on a first look. The redshirt freshman has a plain array of physical intangibles, but Cats fans have yet to see the four-star recruit hit the floor for the blue and white. Yet, ahead of his first season in Lexington, Hawthorne just outright made his own case.
In a clip posted by Chris Beasmore on X, Hawthorne outright bypasses any worries about his fit or function by saying that he's ready to play pretty much anywhere:
After redshirting his freshman season to add weight and develop, Kentucky redshirt freshman forward Braydon Hawthorne says he's ready to make an impact wherever he's needed this season.
— Chris Beasmore (@CBeasmoreSports) June 29, 2026
"Really wherever except for the 5. 1-4, 2-4. Anywhere."
The 6-foot-8, 195-pound forward is… pic.twitter.com/S2aFJjYNLI
"Really wherever except for the 5. 1-4, 2-4. Anywhere," Hawthorne said bluntly. If that's truly the case, it's much more comforting to imagine Hawthorne sliding across four positions as a sort of multipurpose weapon than to conceptualize him being forced into an overlong shooting guard all the time.
Although, I'd have to agree that him spelling Moreno and Franck Kepnang at the five is probably not a good idea. A 6-foot-8, 195 lbs center won't get you far in the SEC.
Kentucky's Multipurpose Weapon
A 6-foot-8, 195 lbs stretch four, however? That's something we can absolutely get behind.
Wondering where exactly Hawthorne would fit in between the aforementioned Williams and the more experienced Justin McBride in the secondary rotation is a more than fair concern. But, with foul trouble inevitably in tow and questions about the specific role of Mason Williams and Jerone Morton in the bench's backcourt being just as common, Hawthorne may be able to flex some seniority of his own.
The lengthy forward has already spent an entire season in Pope's system, learning from the sidelines and honing his skill in practice ahead of his incoming debut. It's hard to say much about where Hawthorne will land until we see him play, but you have to like his versatility in this scenario.
After all, Mark Pope likely wouldn't have made an effort to keep Hawthorne around for a second year if he weren't confident in his ability to contribute. Given the man's own words, the BBN should perhaps expect a little surprise out of Hawthorne, wherever he ends up being slotted in the rotation.
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