College basketball analysts discuss the elite upside of a Kentucky freshman

This Wildcat is going to be a very promising project piece for Mark Pope the next few years.

Jan 4, 2025; Lexington, Kentucky, USA; Kentucky Wildcats head coach Mark Pope talks to his players and assistant coaches on the bench during the first half against the Florida Gators at Rupp Arena at Central Bank Center. Mandatory Credit: Jordan Prather-Imagn Images | Jordan Prather-Imagn Images

Mark Pope and the Kentucky staff brought in a ton of talent this off-season to help address those glaring weaknesses last season that included athleticism and defense, and one of his late additions over the summer was Braydon Hawthorne, who will likely be deep in Kentucky's rotation this season, all while being the 33rd-ranked recruit in the class.

That's certainly a testament to how good Hawthorne can be, but what makes him such a special prospect is the fact that he'll be in Mark Pope's system for a couple of years, giving him time to make strides as a college player. Once he officially signed in late May, Pope even said Hawthorne has "the steepest trajectory of anybody in the 2025 class." Something that goes under the radar with the 6-8 wing is that he was a McDonald's All-American nominee. It's not often that a player deep in your rotation was nearly an All-American in high school.

It isn't just Pope who is raving about what Hawthorne can be as a player. Last week, The Field of 68's Jeff Goodman and Rob Dauster were able to get eyes on the 2025-26 Wildcats in practice, where they came away with a number of takeaways, including Hawthorne, who they seem really excited about with what he can become over the next few years.

"Mark Fox was telling us about his upside, and he's right. I mean, you're looking at him and you're like, whoa," Goodman told Dauster, who seemed to have the same sentiment about Hawthorne. "His legs are about the size of the poles on our cameras holding up our tripod right now. His arms aren't much bigger than that, he's real slender through the shoulders, but he's out here hitting threes, he's 6-8, he's long." Goodman added, saying, "A year from now you're gonna know who Braydon Hawthorne is."

Hawthorne, a former West Virginia commit, had Mountaineer fans up in a arms after he took his talents to Lexington, and Kentucky fans are already hearing about why he was important to Mountaineers heading into this season. The 6-8 wing is going to show plenty of flashes next season, which will likely be similar to what Kentucky fans saw from Collin Chandler last season, who is now entering this season ready to take the next big jump.

Mark Pope knew what he was doing going after Hawthorne late, who he compared to Tayshaun Prince earlier this summer, and Kentucky fans should see why people are raving about his upside very soon.