Kentucky to make starting lineup change against LSU, per report

Kentucky basketball is making a change to the starting lineup in their game against the LSU Tigers.

Kentucky Wildcats guard Kam Williams (3) passes the ball durng game against the Missouri Tigers. Mandatory Credit: Jordan Prather-Imagn Images | Jordan Prather-Imagn Images

After showing signs of optimism in their 24-point win over Mississippi State, Mark Pope and the Kentucky Wildcats will be tweaking the starting lineup. Pope switched up the rotation against the Bulldogs, playing Kam Williams and Andrija Jelavic more at the three and four spots, and it worked. The Wildcats were able to take advantage of good ball-movement by using their best veratile shooting threats. Now, Pope is putting them both into the starting lineup on Wednesday.

When Kentucky basketball faces the LSU Tigers, Kam Williams and Andrija Jelavic will both start, with Mo Dioubate coming off the bench, according to KSR's Jack Pilgrim. It seems Pope is starting to realize he is able to space the floor much better with Williams or Jelavic on the floor, and now, he's starting them both. Dioubate coming off the bench is telling, because aside from his impressive rebounding ability, he isn't a threat from three-point range like Williams and Jelavic are. Their versatility can really open things up.

Pope talked about the two following Kentucky's win over Mississippi State, which saw the team finally find some pace and spacing in half-court offense. With Williams, Pope says his play as of late says more about his versatility, being able to not only shoot, but attack the rim. "For me, the marker with him is he's so explosive and long and effective downhill, andwhen I see him getting downhill, I'm like, the world is good, and it's a part of his game he's grown into. His confidence is growing in that area, and his ability to see the opportunities he has is growing. And it's really important, because that's gonna round out his offensive game so much."

With Jelavic, him playing at the four makes teams respect him from beyond the arc, which is something opponents are not afraid of with Dioubate at the four. Pope talked about how effective he can be stretching the floor. Think about Andrew Carr, who was vital to Kentucky's ability to spread the offense out, leading to more scoring opportunities. Pope says Jelavic responded well on Saturday when he played for the first time since Dec. 23. "He’s handled it great. He’s a pretty steady human being. He’s like, 'Hey I don’t like that I’m not playing right now, but I understand the process and I’ve been through this before and I know that if I just keep working then good things are going to happen whenever it’s time for them to happen.' I think he had some sense of the fact that he could be thrust into that game Saturday, and I thought he was really good. His presence, he has a calmness about him,” Pope added. “He made pretty good decisions on the offensive end. We’re gonna need him to be good going forward just because he has a skillset that can really help us.“

Both Williams and Jelavic will look to continue making an impact, adding a new dimension to the offense's ability when the Wildcats face LSU on Wednesday night, in addition to Jasper Johnson stepping up more at point guard with Jaland Lowe out for the season.