When Otega Oweh decided to return for his senior season, BBN popped champagne. One of the best SEC players of last year is coming back. He was picked as the SEC Preseason Player of the Year and he is coming back to lead Mark Pope’s second squad? It felt like a guaranteed ticket to a deep run.
Six games in, that "guarantee" is looking like it is on shaky ground. And the reason might be uncomfortable to admit.
Is Otega Oweh playing to win games, or is he playing not to mess up his draft stock?
The "passive" problem
The stats don't lie. The Otega Oweh we saw last year was a downhill force of nature, he was a guy who lived at the rim and invited contact.
This year’s version looks... careful, cautious, and settling way too much, the stats back that up.
- Free Throws: Down to 2.8 attempts per game (was 5.3).
- Three-Point Attempts: Up to 3.3 per game (hitting just 30%) averaged 2.1 last year on 35%.
- Turnovers: Up by nearly one per game.
He is settling for jumpers instead of attacking the paint. He’s playing finesse basketball in a team that demands physicality.
The quote that haunts BBN
It’s hard to ignore what Oweh said in the preseason when asked about balancing the team with his pro ambitions:
"Everything that I have to do to get to the next level won’t hurt the team at all. It’ll just make the team better."
Right now, that isn't true. His focus on showing "guard skills" (i.e., shooting threes) instead of doing what he’s actually elite at (driving and finishing) is stalling the offense.
Even worse, Oweh has admitted multiple times this season that he needs to "give 100 percent effort." A senior leader shouldn't need a reminder to play hard.
We all want Otega to make the league. But the best way to get drafted isn't to float around the perimeter; it’s to dominate.
Oweh needs to flip the switch immediately. We don't need "NBA Otega." We need "Bully Ball Otega." Is Otega Oweh playing for Kentucky's title hopes or his own draft stock? The answer may not really matter, if he doesn't figure that out soon, he might lose both his draft status and his starting spot.
Drew Holbrook is an avid Kentucky fan who has been covering the Cats for over 10 years. In his free time he enjoys downtime with his family and Premier League soccer. You can find him on X here. Micah 7:7. #UptheAlbion