The Cats have a shortened bench with 3 injured stars: Kam Williams is trying to get back from a broken foot, Jayden Quaintance is starting to ramp up from his knee injury, and Jaland Lowe is done for the year.
And Mark Pope continues to speak on fatigue and how it impacts the team's performance. So, the bench guys are going to get their time to shine over the next month, or however long Kentucky will be playing. And if Kentucky is going to be successful, they must step up.
Trent Noah, Jasper Johnson, Andrija Jelavic could be stars for Kentucky basketball
Trent Noah and Jasper Johnson have not had the seasons they imagined coming into the year. Jasper is a 5-star freshman who has really struggled all year long. Trent Noah is a sophomore who was hoping for a breakout. Neither has come close.
Jasper is averaging just 10.88 minutes per game in the SEC, scoring just 3.76 points per game and turning it over 1.12 times during those 10 minutes. Not good for a backup point guard. Jasper has really struggled with the strength of opposing guards and has turned the ball over way too easily. If he can keep control of the ball and get hot from deep, which is entirely possible with as streaky as he can be, he could really increase his playing time next year, wherever that will be.
Noah, for his part, was a 4-star commit last year, and Mark Pope spent most of the offseason talking about just how good he looked. He started to start the year, and then he barely got in the game. He struggled in February with his shooting, not making a single shot. He finally hit 2 3's against Texas A&M, but he rolled his ankle and then barely played against Florida. But Kentucky needs his rebounding. If his shot can fall, he could really see his stock soar.
Lastly, Andrija Jelavic will have a big say in how Kentucky finishes the season. Jelavic has not been good from deep, shooting under 30% on the season. But Pope believes in the Croatian, and he keeps throwing them up. If he can get closer to 40% during the postseason, that would open up the offense tremendously. But it's not just his scoring; Mark Pope needs his defense to be good. With Brandon Garrison struggling and Jayden Quaintance out, Pope needs Jelavic to handle the block. If he can shoot it just a little better and show up without fouling on D, that will be a win for the Cats.
Jelavic may be in the doghouse after he completely disagreed with Mark Pope on fatigue, saying that they are 19-year-olds playing every 3 or 4 days.
Who do you think will be the surprise who steps up for Kentucky basketball this March?