Should Kentucky burn Braydon Hawthorne's redshirt?

Should Braydon Hawthorne get minutes with Kam Williams out for an extended amount of time?

Oct 24, 2025; Lexington, KY, USA; Kentucky Wildcats forward Braydon Hawthorne (22) gestures in celebration from the bench during the second half against the Purdue Boilermakers at Rupp Arena at Central Bank Center. Mandatory Credit: Jordan Prather-Imagn Images | Jordan Prather-Imagn Images

Following Kam Williams' broken foot injury on Wednesday in Kentucky's win over Texas, fans began voicing their opinions on whether or not Mark Pope should no longer redshirt Braydon Hawthorne giving the depth now being tested moving forward for however long Williams remains out.

Hawthorne was given Tayshaun Prince comparisons in the preseason, and was a top 35 prospect in the class of 2025. But, before Williams' injury, Kentucky could afford to redshirt him. But, in his last comments about the redshirt situation, Pope left the possibility open if circumstances led to the team needing him. "We're going to protect him as long as we can, and if there comes a time when we can't, it'll be a conversation that we'll have. But right now, we're hoping that we can save this year for him."

Now, all of that preseason praise may need to show itself, as now, either a lot of minutes or in Trent Noah's hands, or Hawthorne needs to bypass the redshirt and step on the court. We will see, but you can't deny a player that was a top-35 recruit in his class that received a comparison to a Kentucky Basketball Hall of Famer. Back in October, Hawthorne himself even saw the same similarities between he and Prince. "I can see some similarities," Hawthorne said. What does Hawthorne see in both him and Prince? "Just like the length defensively, shooting the ball, just being able to everything." In his time at Kentucky, Prince played four seasons for the Wildcats, earning both All-SEC and All-American honors during his time. Their play styles are very similar. With how Kentucky's season has gone, why not burn a year by putting a player with promising tools in his bag out on the court to give his team some quality minutes off the bench.

It has been clear the Kentucky staff is using Hawthorne as a developmental piece, but as Pope has said, if the time comes, there will be conversations about possibly burning the redshirt and having him play minutes. WIth Williams out for an indefinite amount of time, Kentucky's depth will really be tested, especially having to likely play Trent Noah 15-20 minutes, who has not played double-digit minutes since playing 11 against Indiana. Why not have someone with Hawthorne's versatility to back him up in the rotation?

We shall see what Pope ultimately does, but the last time he spoke on the situation, he did leave the possbility open for Hawthorne getting some time on the floor. Is now the time to burn the redshirt? Plenty of Kentucky fans are wanting that result, and for good reason.