Brandon Garrison's up-and-down career in Lexington has officially come to a close, and he leaves behind a legacy of unfulfilled potential.
For two years, Garrison was the ultimate rollercoaster. His tenure was a frustrating experience that only offered brief, tantalizing glimpses of his actual potential. He could go from being benched for a lack of hustle one week. Then the next week, he would randomly explode for six blocks against Santa Clara in the NCAA Tournament.
You simply never knew what version of Garrison you were going to get when he stepped onto the hardwood. But you knew he was going to be 6'10. Now that he has officially entered the transfer portal, Kentucky will need to fill those vacated minutes.
Mark Pope might have just found Brandon Garrison's carbon copy in Kwame Evans Jr., with KSR reporting he is a name to watch. The difference is that Evans has production to back up his potential.
The ultimate like-for-like swap
If you are looking for a massive, needle-moving name that is going to break the internet, Kwame Evans Jr. is not going to be the guy. But if you look closely at his game, he is practically Garrison's twin on the court when Garrison plays well. He even wears number 10.
Standing at 6-foot-10, Evans is coming off the most productive season of his collegiate career. Playing over 30 minutes a night, he averaged 13.3 points, 7.4 rebounds, and 1.3 blocks per game while shooting a highly efficient 79.9% from the free-throw line. That is a huge step up from Garrison's 4 points and 4 rebounds.
While you would ideally love to see a slightly heavier impact on the glass and in the shot-blocking department from a player with his size, Evans does just enough to anchor the paint and keep the offense flowing. He is highly serviceable.
But will he be willing to play that role?
A proven role player
Ironically, being "just serviceable enough" is exactly what Brandon Garrison was for most of his time in Lexington. And it worked. He would blow up for 20 points and 11 rebounds against Oklahoma, great. But then he would disappear again. The ceiling was high, but the floor was low.
Evans hasn't necessarily had a massive, national-standout role during his career, but this past year proved he can be a highly functional piece of a rotation. If Mark Pope lands him out of the portal, it won't be a franchise-altering splash, but it would be a nice pickup for a team that is poised to lose at least 7 players.
If Evans is willing to come in and simply play his role, whether that is backing up Malachi Moreno or providing a steady presence in the paint, he could be a really solid contributor on a very good team. He would be what Brandon Garrison should have been, and at times could be. And that is just good enough.