Five-Star Freshman, 2026 NBA Draft Prospect Performs Well in Exhibition

The college basketball regular season continues to inch closer.

On Nov. 3, the 2025-26 campaign will officially kick off, with a number of exciting matchups on opening night. Before the regular season, though, teams around the country have competed in exhibition matchups.

There have been a handful of notable performances and scores from the preseason slate, including AJ Dybantsa, Darryn Peterson, Cameron Boozer, and others. Recently, another freshman shined in an ehibition game against one of the top teams in the nation.

On Oct. 24, No. 9 Kentucky met No. 1 Purdue for a preseason exhibition game. Wildcats' wing Jasper Johnson, a true freshman, finished the contest with 15 points and 3 assists while shooting 6-of-10 from the field and 3-of-7 from 3-point range.

Freshman Jasper Johnson vs No. 1 Purdue:

15 PTS | 6-10 FG | 3-7 3 PT | 3 AST pic.twitter.com/JASDtoV7dO
— B/R Hoops (@brhoops) October 25, 2025

Of course, only so many conclusions can be drawn from an exhibition, but Johnson looked solid in his first action against top-tier collegiate competition. In addition to intriguing draft prospect Omer Mayer and returning All-American Braden Smith, the Boilermakers also boast a number of veterans on the roster.

Listed at 6-foot-5 and 180 pounds, Johnson was rated the No. 21 overall prospect and No. 5 shooting guard in the 2025 recruiting class after playing with Overtime Elite, and held offers from Alabama, Auburn, North Carolina and others.

In high school, Johnson was a good shooter from beyond the arc and in the mid range. During his performance agaisnt Purdue, the Lexington, KY, product showed off that area of his skill set once again.

If Johnson can knock down triples consistently as a freshman, he should have a chance at being a one-and-done prospect at Kentucky. While that isn't a guarantee for the five-star recruit, Johnson has the scoring prowess to garner attention from NBA scouts.

Playing in the SEC, Johnson should have plenty of opportunities to showcase his talents against solid competition, but the freshman will have to share touches with a number of veteran players.

Otega Oweh returns after averaging 16.2 points per game in 2024-25, and the Wildcats also brought in Jaland Lowe, Kam Williams and Jayden Quaintance through the transfer portal.

Lowe averaged 16.8 points per game at Pittsburgh last season, and Quaintance averaged 9.4 at Arizona State. The former Sun Devils' forward has a chance to be a lottery pick in the 2026 class, though, and could see an uptick in field goal attempts this year.

Williams spent his freshman year at Tulane, where he averaged 9.3 points per game, but the sophomore also has NBA Draft potential and could play a significant role for Kentucky.

Want to join the discussion? Like Draft Digest on Facebook and follow us on Twitter to stay up to date on all the latest NBA Draft news. You can also meet the team behind the coverage.