Kentucky Basketball guard Jaland Lowe has been dealing with a nagging shoulder injury this season, but head coach Mark Pope remains confident in the junior’s ability to contribute throughout the season.
On his call-in show Monday, Pope talked about Lowe’s impact on Kentucky, his nagging shoulder injury and the possibility of another insurance addition.
“I expect Jaland to be with us all season, and we’re excited about that,” Pope said.
Lowe’s season was marked by setbacks, including leaving the court just seven seconds into the first half against St. John’s before returning after halftime to play 15 minutes, scoring 13 points on 5/7 shooting with three assists and three rebounds.
Despite Lowe’s injury history — including two separate instances in which he dislocated his shoulder — Pope has no immediate plans to look to add a guard midseason.
“We have a great team. I’m not sure we’re shopping around a lot right now,” Pope said of a possible addition to the team.
While it would be nice to have some confidence, Pope believes in what Jasper Johnson and Denzel Aberdeen can bring to the table.
“Jasper is going to become a main role. DA is becoming more and more comfortable as a full-time point guard, but also moving around at the 2,” Pope said.
The Wildcats will continue to carefully monitor Lowe’s condition and manage his minutes. It’s unclear if Lowe will play Tuesday when Kentucky hosts Bellarmine before getting nearly two full weeks off until the SEC opener at Alabama on Jan. 3.
“He’s pretty sore today. We’ll see how it goes tomorrow,” Pope said. “We’re going to continue to proceed cautiously with these guys. He bounced back really quickly, so I know he’s got some great basketball in him.”
Kentucky fans can take comfort in Pope’s belief that Lowe and the current team are equipped to push the Wildcats deep into conference and NCAA play. Let’s hope that’s how it goes.
