Most of the Kentucky Wildcats' losses this offseason were due to the transfer portal and, for the Big Blue Nation, that's a "so be it" scenario. Most folks would rather forget last season's 14-loss, early-exit campaign that had many people going full fire and brimstone on Mark Pope's vision for the program.
And while much can be argued in the fine print about Pope's third offseason, that's an entirely different discussion. Although, I'd be remiss if I didn't express excitement for what he's put together.
On a different plane of discussion, one Wildcat who left and went the NBA route is picking up some national smoke as a potential sleeper pick, wherever he is taken. You may be quick to think Otega Oweh (and he very well may be too), but according to Brian Rauf on Basket Under Review, the name to look out for here is Jayden Quaintance.
Of course, JQ's medical history is a major red flag for any team looking to potentially bring him in, and it's likely why he's fallen out of the lottery on most lists. "That may ultimately decide where he goes, but it should not be allowed to define who he is as a prospect," noted Rauf.
Injuries Aren't a Defining Trait
Quaintance is one of many players in the history of the draft to enter the event with health questions. This isn't necessarily a unique scenario, but it absolutely had a negative impact on his stock.
That can't be hard for Cats fans to understand, given how much time he missed due to knee swelling this past season.
"When Quaintance was healthy, he looked like one of the most intriguing defensive bigs to come through college basketball in years," said Rauf. And even if that wasn't fully realized at Kentucky, the flashes JQ showed alone were enough to confirm that such a beast is still in there.
A Beast in Waiting
"Quaintance is not just a high-upside gamble — he is a young, physically unique defensive center with a real rotation floor and a path to becoming one of the better defensive bigs in the league," he went on.
Even if the BBN didn't get to see JQ break out in Lexington, Cats fans will always have the back of a player that took the court when they could and had a positive attitude the whole way through. Quaintance embodied both of these things, and I fully believe it was as much a tragedy to him that he couldn't play as it was to watchers at Rupp Arena.
I hope this prediction comes to full fruition, and we get to see another Pope big find success in the big leagues. JQ has all the tools to be special, and his time at Kentucky will always be remembered for his dominant performance against St. John's, if nothing else.
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