Kentucky head coach Mark Pope issued an update on the Wildcats’ health situation, and while there’s some progress, there are still question marks surrounding key players. Here’s the latest on Lamont Butler, Jaxson Robinson, and Kerr Kriisa as Kentucky navigates the final stretch of the regular season.
Lamont Butler Trending in the Right Direction
The good news? Butler is getting closer to returning. Pope is optimistic about getting him some live reps in practice soon—a clear step in the right direction. However, the big question remains: when will he be able to take contact in a game?
“He’s actually moving pretty well....He still hasn’t practiced with live play, but for him, it’s just a matter of how far along does he have to get where he could actually take a hit in the game? That’s the biggest question for him. That’s going to be a little bit of a guessing game.”
The plan is to ease him into live drills over the next week and see how his body responds for a push to make the SEC tournament.
Jaxson Robinson’s Left-Handed Experiment
Robinson, on the other hand, hasn’t done anything with his right hand yet, which obviously complicates things. But that hasn’t stopped him from putting in the work. In fact, Pope revealed that Robinson has been getting plenty of shots up—just with his left hand.
“He’s done a ton of left-handed shooting and probably unsurprisingly, he’s making a lot of shots left-handed,” Pope said. “So I am actually pushing him to just tie up the right wrist, just get that thing safe in a big cast, and let’s go just play lefty on Wednesday. I’m not sure he’s prepared to do that.” Of course he was joking.
Kerr Kriisa’s Medical Redshirt Possibility
Then there’s Kriisa, whose recovery has been slower than they wanted it to be. With the season winding down, the idea of a medical redshirt is at least on the table.
“The two qualifications are less than 30 percent of the games played—he’s barely under 30 percent—and not played past the mid-point,” Pope explained. “So that is a possibility. … Right now, he’s anxiously trying to get back into this thing, and the recovery has probably been a little slower than any of us would like.”
Kriisa is pushing to return, but it’s clear the decision could go either way depending on his progress in the coming weeks.
Final Thoughts
Kentucky is battling more than just SEC opponents—they’re also battling the injury report. Butler’s return seems the most imminent, Robinson’s situation remains uncertain, and Kriisa’s availability could come down to a tough redshirt call. As the Wildcats push toward the postseason, Pope and his staff will have to make some key decisions on how to proceed with these players.