Denzel Aberdeen has been extremely efficient over the last four games

Aberdeen has been a very efficient playmaker as of late for Kentucky.

Feb 28, 2026; Lexington, Kentucky, USA; Kentucky Wildcats guard Denzel Aberdeen (1) handles the ball against the Vanderbilt Commodores at Rupp Arena at Central Bank Center. Mandatory Credit: Jordan Prather-Imagn Images | Jordan Prather-Imagn Images

Early in the season, Denzel Aberdeen was frustrating to watch, to put it bluntly. But, in SEC play, he has really turned the corner as he continues to get used to playing the lead point guard role. Aberdeen was very inconsistent as a scorer and playmaker, but over the last month, that has all changed and one stat in particular points to his progression.

A couple of games in to SEC play, Aberdeen was actually one of the top three-point shooters in the conference. But it's not just his scoring that has taken a leap, it's his playmaking as well and as the starting point guard, making plays for teammates needs to be at the top of your list. In fact, over the last four games, Denzel Aberdeen has 16 assists to just one single turnover. That right there should tell you everything about how much better the former sixth-man from Florida has played recently.

Aberdeen now has six straight games with double-digit points, too. He's making plays all around. On Saturday, following Kentucky's 14-point win against Vandy, Mark Pope talked about the incredible progress he has made, not only becoming an efficient point guard, but one of Kentucky's top go-to players overall.

"I’m so impressed with him," Pope said on Saturday. "We talked about this story all season long. He came in here to do one job and he’s doing a totally different job than he expected, than we expected.  He’s grown into, in the last two games, if you think about on the road in the SEC and at home against a really, really good Vanderbilt team.  He’s 9-0 (assist-to-turnover), that’s hard to do. Two teams that really pressure and really give you different looks against two of the best steal guards in our league in terms of Vanderbilt’s backcourt.  He just has been incredible.  He makes big shots.  He’s really poised. He had a couple of unbelievable driving lines tonight.  I think his defensive effort is getting overlooked a little bit because in the last two games, he’s been so good defensively and he’s just making every play."

As the starting point guard, Aberdeen's role is one of the most important on the entire team. You need the point guard of your team to be efficient in all areas, especially playmaking. That's exactly what Aberdeen has done over the last month, but especially the last two weeks.