Kentucky frontcourt will continue being 'by committee'

The Kentucky Wildcats have gotten three-straight wins in large part due to the emergence of guys like Denzel Aberdeen and Jasper Johnson with Jaland Lowe now out for the season, but don't forget about the impressive play from the frontcourt, which has really helped the spacing on offense, leading to much more scoring opportunities.

Different players have emerged in Kentucky's frontcourt rotation, which seems to change up just about every game, but more-so with the four spot. It's not just Mo Dioubate getting the bulk of the minutes there every game anymore. Kam Williams' versatility has made him a legit threat, and as of late, Andrija Jelavic has stepped up big at the four position, providing impactful minutes whenever he is on the floor. But, who gets the most minutes at the four is a game-by-game type of situation. One day, it may be Dioubate and his physicality or Williams with his versatility, while another game it may be Jelavic and his stretch-four ability. Either way, all three are valuable to Kentucky, but all impact the game differently.

Mark Pope says going forward, the frontcourt will be 'by committee', even at the five, where guys like Malachi Moreno, Brandon Garrison, and Jayden Quaintance can have different impacts based on the matchup with the opponent. "Yeah, it's very much matchup dependent, scheme dependent, situation in the game, and how guys are playing, actually. So that's a little bit of a position by committee right now. It'll probably continue to be, and it gives us some flexibility in how we approach the game."

What different kinds of impacts is he seeing from his guys at the four? "(Andrija Jelavic) gave us a pretty good lift to start the game against Tennessee, made a shot, got downhill, take it, made a great pocket pass, got downhill, made a play. So he gave us some life. Mo (Dioubate) was unbelievable down the stretch. Had three offensive rebounds in the last three minutes and 15 seconds. That really saved us in that game, including making them quick and having an unbelievable isolation defensive possession against Nate Ament where he came up with stuff, so he had huge minutes down the stretch. Kam (Williams), when we find the right matchup, Kam can really change the dynamic for us at the four, because it spaces the floor so much, and it puts him in a position where he's got a matchup I think would be interesting for him. So, you know, we have a great cast. Trent Noah actually can sneak in there and play a couple minutes at the four. (Brandon Garrison) has actually played some functional minutes for us at the four."

As you can see, a number of different players can be impactful at the four position, and as Kentucky fans have learned lately, it's hard to know who will step up there until the game begins, but Pope has a good impactful group of guys there, a position so vital to how the team runs things.