2026-27 Kentucky basketball player preview: Braydon Hawthorne

There is one returning player in particular for Kentucky that is an extremely promising one and that guy is Braydon Hawthorne. After redshirting last season, the 6-8 wing is ready to make some serious noise. With Kam Williams ahead of him on the depth chart, Hawthorne could turn into an extremely valuable bench piece as the season goes on.

When injuries plagued Kentucky last season, fans were hoping to see Hawthorne get some time, but Pope and the staff ultimately made the choice to redshirt him and not end up using him. Now, he's got a full four years of potential ahead of him and the ceiling is extremely high. Why? He's got all of the athletic tools to become a versatile weapon for Kentucky. Mark Pope even compared him to Tayshaun Prince in terms of his mobility last off-season.

Kentucky knew the development plan with Hawthorne going in, and now they've got a few years to let him showcase his talents. If he really is anything like Tayshaun Prince even just a little bit, it will be fun to watch him grow during his time in Lexington. Pope recently shared his thoughts on the 6-8 wing in a Q and A video on social media: "I think his ceiling is limitless. He's worked so hard and sacrificed so much. He's a 7'3" wingspan kid that can do everything on the floor. He's got a great feel for the game. He is gonna make big-time plays for us."

What could Hawthorne's stats look like in his first official year of action? Let's make a prediction.

Points: 6.9 per game

Again, Hawthorne's development will take some time, but fans should be confident with who they have on the wing. With the 6-8 wing's ability to create shots for himself, he'll have plenty of opportunities in his handful of minutes off the bench to get points. I would expect him to get a few buckets, with the potential of taking over at any given moment as he gets more comfortable after redshirting last season.

Rebounds: 2.3 per game

With his long frame, Hawthorne should be able to grab a few rebounds in his time on the floor. Kentucky's size in the frontcourt will hinder that a little bit, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. Expect him to crash the glass and defend will in addition to having freak athletic potential.

Assists: 2.1 per game

Given his role as an athletic scorer out on the wing, assist chances are likely to be slim for Hawthorne. It's hard to predict assists in general given that it relies on the offensive production as a whole, but expect the 6-8 wing to still get his fair share.

The potential is definitely there for Hawthorne. Will he surprise people right away?

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