Last season, Mark Pope’s first squad at Kentucky was filled with shooters everywhere. Led by Koby Brea, who was an extremely efficient shooter, that was one area that wasn’t a weakness at all. Instead, other areas like athleticism and defense were glaring weaknesses, especially once they got into the physical SEC play that featured athletic guards such as Mark Sears, who posed as a problem for the Wildcats.
Now, this season, Kentucky looks to have improved mightily in the areas of defense and athleticism. Mark Pope and his staff brought in atheltic transfers in Denzel Aberdeen, Jaland Lowe, as well as really versatile forwards Mo Dioubate and Kam Williams and the return of star guard Otega Oweh. In the defensive department, both Dioubate and Williams are major boosts, but not as big as Jayden Quaitance, who is seen as one of the top potential draft prospects all thanks to his defensive prowess. Add in returning Collin Chandler and bringing in Jasper Johnson, who can also get to the rim with his impressive ball-handling, Kentucky will have athletic players all over the floor as well as versatile defenders. But, it begs the question will Kentucky be lacking in three-point shooting?
Mar 29, 2025; San Francisco, CA, USA; Florida Gators guard Denzel Aberdeen (11) shoots a three point basket during the first half against the Texas Tech Red Raiders during the West Regional final of the 2025 NCAA tournament at Chase Center. Mandatory Credit: Eakin Howard-Imagn Images / Eakin Howard-Imagn Images
It’s clear that based off who Kentucky brought in, shooting isn’t expected to be a major strength, which is a big difference from last season. The Wildcats still have capable shooters, but aside from Trent Noah and Kam Williams, Kentucky doesn’t seem to have any go-to shooters. That should change as the season goes on, but Noah and Williams, who both were very efficient last season, should be seen as Kentucky’s top shooters to start the season. Kentucky also is bringing in Denzel Aberdeen, who is an athletic guard who can also really knock down threes, shooting it at 35 percent.
Williams is the only incoming Wildcat who has shot the three at over a 40 percent clip, but if Jaland Lowe can become a more efficient scorer, specifically shooting, and Otega Oweh can continue improving his shot, the Wildcats will be in good hands. Those two are going to need to take a step in order for Kentucky’s shooting to not be a weakness. With what Pope was able to do with Lamont Butler and Jaxson Robinson last season, improving their shooting efficiency, Lowe and Oweh should be in good hands in Pope’s system.
Kentucky may not have as much firepower as last season when it comes to shooting, but if a couple of Wildcats step up and improve their efficiency from deep, there won’t be any need for fans to worry.