College basketball analyst names two Kentucky Wildcats who should be cut from the rotation

Should these Wildcats stay in the rotation?

Dec 9, 2025; Lexington, Kentucky, USA; Kentucky Wildcats forward Andrija Jelavic (4) reacts after making a basket during the first half against the North Carolina Central Eagles at Rupp Arena at Central Bank Center. Mandatory Credit: Jordan Prather-Imagn Images | Jordan Prather-Imagn Images

The Wildcats are inching closer to the midway point of SEC play, and Mark Pope is still figuring out who is going to be in his rotation for the rest of the season. This isn’t the fault of Coach Pope as injuries have made this season one big game of musical chairs for the Wildcats ' second-year head coach.

One of the players who has seen the floor more in conference play is Croatian power forward Andrija Jelavic. In SEC play, the skilled big man has played better basketball and continues to earn more minutes. He has even cracked the starting lineup over the last few games for Pope’s squad, overtaking Mo Dioubate.

Despite the recent improved play of Jealvic, the analytics don’t like the Wildcats European forward. Jelavic has the worst rating on the team according to EvanMiya.com.

Evan Miyakawa of EvanMiya.com recently talked about Jelavic on his podcast, and here is what he had to say: “I think Trent Noah and Andrija Jelavic should not be in the rotation when it comes to the end of the season. Jelavic, in terms of his contribution both statistically and in terms of team performance, has been comfortably the worst on the team this year. There is really no argument from a statistical standpoint that he should be a starter on this team, let alone playing meaningful minutes in this rotation. Again, I could be wrong about this, and he is a very talented player, but there are already so many good, meaningful players on this team, and I just don’t think you have the kind of ability to just mess around and still be running ten or eleven deep by the time we get to March.”

Jan 10, 2026; Lexington, Kentucky, USA; Kentucky Wildcats forward Andrija Jelavic (4) shoots the ball during the second half against the Mississippi State Bulldogs at Rupp Arena at Central Bank Center. Mandatory Credit: Jordan Prather-Imagn Images | Jordan Prather-Imagn Images

One person who agrees with Miyakawa is Coach Pope. He has been hesitant to play Jelavic a lot of minutes, even though he has started over the last few games for the Wildcats. Weirdly enough, Jelavic truly has passed the eyeball test for the Wildcats, and if he continues to shoot the ball better, he will be a valuable asset to this team.

Miyakawa doesn’t think Jelavic should be a part of this rotation, but at times Dioubate has clogged this offense, and this has created problems for the Wildcats. Jelavic spreads the floor, and if he continues to improve offensively, he will be a weapon for Pope’s team.

BBN has also had its fair share of concerns with Jelavic, but this uber-talented Croatian forward has a bright future ahead if Coach Pope plays him enough for him to fully settle in.