After the game Saturday afternoon, Mark Pope said Kentucky was "unrecognizable" from the team he sees every day in practice.
That continues a troubling trend where Kentucky just looks lost at times on the offensive end. Jayden Quaintance is now fully healthy, Jaland Lowe played 27 minutes, and still Kentucky got down 21 points before losing to Alabama 89-74. Jayden's dad has a few ideas on what to do.
Haminn Quaintance addresses Jayden Quaintance's lack of usage
Haminn is not just a dad who doesn't know ball, and wants his son to get more shots. Get that out of your head now, he is a 14 point 9 rebound player who was 3 time all-conference in college. He knows the game. So, when he speaks, his words carry some extra weight.
He took to X to discuss how Kentucky should be attacking opposing defenses.
Shouldve been exploiting these match ups all night! im surprised they didnt called him out to set a screen on his man then asked him to screen his own man until the guard got a layup https://t.co/4lcTOucjGz
— Haminn Quaintance (@UptQ4life) January 3, 2026
In the video, you can clearly see Oweh recognize the mismatch, demand the ball back, and then go right to Moreno, who got an easy slam. It was one of the only times all night Kentucky did this action and threw the ball into the post. It should have happened a lot more.
But Haminn wasn't done there:
Went from Highest big usage to highest guard usage in the country. Cant pick and roll all game if u cant pass out of it. The ball sticks and Bama move the ball and kept us honest.
— Haminn Quaintance (@UptQ4life) January 3, 2026
Last season, before the knee injury, JQ was averaging 9 points, 7 rebounds, 1.5 assists, 3 blocks, and a steal a game. In 3 games with Kentucky, he has 19 points, 16 rebounds, 1 steal, 1 assist, and 2 blocks total. That decline in stats is a worrisome trend when he is the only for sure NBA 1st round pick on your roster. To Haminn's point, he should be given more of an emphasis; his physicality on offense is just as important as his defense.
Speaking of defense, there is a reason he is not blocking the same number of shots with Kentucky. The defense is broken right now; they are constantly in scramble mode, and he is chasing shooters instead of protecting the rim. Playing him alongside Garrison and/or Moreno doesn't help either. They just get in each other's way.
Yet Mark Pope keeps trying to make it work, and it has yet to click. We are in January, 16 games into the season, and Kentucky has no identity. That is a dangerous place to be as a team with a $22 million payroll that was once called Noah's Ark because they had two of everything.
Most analysts are wondering if they have just one of anything. Kentucky is back in action on Wednesday against Missouri.