Well, if you didn't know, you do now. Jayden Quaintance all but confirmed what every Kentucky fan knew about his future. The injured big man said, “This will likely be my last year of college, so I’m just trying to absorb as much as I can.”
Jayden Quaintance's Kentucky career is a massive "what if?"
JQ was supposed to be the star that Kentucky needed to supplement Otega Oweh and flesh out a roster full of role players. But after an encouraging rehab and an early return, that devastating knee injury proved too much.
After the Missouri game in January, Jayden Quaintance was shut down. It was talked about like a precautionary measure, and they will go through everything and get him back as soon as they can. It's March, and the knee is still swelling.
Quaintance's athleticism was a huge part of this roster. He was going to anchor the paint and provide Malachi Moreno a year to get stronger and develop. Instead, Moreno has been the starter and has at times struggled.
JQ can handle the ball and has a bevy of moves to get to the rim. We just never got to see it in Lexington. It will always go down as a "what if," and the truth is, we will just never know.
Two areas where Jayden Quaintance could have changed Kentucky’s season
Kentucky's shooting at the rim has been poor at times this year, finishing the regular season at just 55% on layups. JQ wouldn't have been laying those up; those attempts would have been power dunks. That changes everything for this team.
But it wasn't just the offense. Kentucky was crushed on the boards against Tennessee and Florida all year long. The Gators were +21 in the SEC Tournament, 50-29.
Those kind of games don't happen with a healthy JQ.
But he wasn't healthy; Quaintance admitted he never fully practiced with the team after arriving in Lexington. The swelling never truly subsided, limiting both his conditioning and chemistry with the roster.
And now his Kentucky career is nearing an end with only 4 games played and a legacy of maybe's.