Whichever NBA team drafts Jayden Quaintance will be getting a steal

Jayden Quaintance is going to be a superstar at the next level.

Jan 7, 2026; Lexington, Kentucky, USA; Kentucky Wildcats forward Jayden Quaintance (21) reacts after a play during the second half against the Missouri Tigers at Rupp Arena at Central Bank Center. Mandatory Credit: Jordan Prather-Imagn Images | Jordan Prather-Imagn Images

The NBA Draft is set to get going this evening, and there is one former Kentucky Wildcat hoping to hear his name called. That former Wildcat is Jayden Quaintance, who didn’t see the floor much this season due to his knee injury. This knee injury has had a real effect on his stock in this NBA Draft, so it will be very interesting to see where Quaintance goes this evening.

Heading into last college basketball season, Quaintance was considered a lock to be a lottery pick with top five upside, but two things derailed this quickly. The first is obviously his struggles coming back from the knee injury, but the other issue for Quaintance has been how talented this NBA Draft Class is.

Kentucky Wildcats forward Jayden Quaintance spins a basketball while being introduced at the 2025 Big Blue Madness at Rupp Arena in Lexington, Kentucky Saturday, Oct. 11, 2025. | Matt Stone/The Courier Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Quaintance in mock drafts these last few days has been falling, and in one from ESPN today, he went with the final pick of the first round. I still have a feeling that Quaintance will go closer to 20 in this draft than he does 30, but teams clearly have concerns. While Kentucky fans didn’t get to see it much on the floor this season, the upside is there for him to be a superstar.

There is a real world where Quaintance is fighting year after year for defensive player of the year with Spurs star Victor Wembanyama. That is how high the defensive upside is for Quaintance, and as he continues to develop his offensive game, he is going to be scary good for whichever NBA team takes a shot on him.

Jan 3, 2026; Tuscaloosa, Alabama, USA; Kentucky Wildcats forward Jayden Quaintance (21) recovers the ball during the second half against the Alabama Crimson Tide at Coleman Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: David Leong-Imagn Images | David Leong-Imagn Images

To an NBA GM, a player like Quaintance is very scary because if they take him and he never amounts to much, it would be a really bad look for the GM. But on the flip side of this coin, if Quaintance is back at 100% and finds his potential in the pros, he will be the steal of the first round. To sum this up, Quaintance will either get a GM a raise or get him fired.

The real question with Quaintance right now is what position the knee is in. If he truly just isn’t healthy, this will scare teams because he is a year post-operation at this point. Knowing Quaintance is the only Wildcat with a real shot to be drafted this evening, fans will be anxious to see where he ends up going. Quaintance will not attend the draft in person as he did not receive a green room invite.

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