If you were unaware, you are now. Every Kentucky fan’s prediction concerning Jayden Quaintance’s future was virtually confirmed. “This will probably be my last year of college, so I’m just trying to absorb as much as I can,” the injured big man stated.
Jayden Quaintance’s Kentucky career is a massive “what if?”
In order to complement Otega Oweh and complete a team full of supporting players, JQ was expected to be the star Kentucky needed. However, that horrific knee injury proved to be too much, even after an impressive recovery and an early return.
Jayden Quaintance was shut down following the Missouri game in January. They will go through everything and return him as quickly as possible; it was discussed as a precaution. The knee is still swollen in March.
This roster greatly benefited from Quaintance’s athleticism. He intended to anchor the paint and give Malachi Moreno a year to grow and mature. Moreno has been the starter instead, albeit he has occasionally had trouble.
JQ possesses a variety of moves to get to the rim and is capable of handling the ball. Simply put, we were unable to witness it in Lexington. It will always remain a “what if,” and in actuality, we will never know.
Two areas where Jayden Quaintance could have changed Kentucky’s season
This season, Kentucky’s rim shooting has been inconsistent at times; at the end of the regular season, their layup percentage was only 55%. Those would have been power dunks, and JQ would not have been laying those up. For this crew, that means everything is different.
However, the offense wasn’t the only factor. Throughout the entire season, Kentucky was routed on the boards by Florida and Tennessee. In the SEC Tournament, the Gators were +21, 50-29.
A healthy JQ prevents those kinds of games from occurring.
However, Quaintance said that after moving to Lexington, he never really practiced with the squad because he wasn’t feeling well. His conditioning and rapport with the team were both hampered by the swelling, which never really went down.
With just four games played and a legacy of maybes, his Kentucky career is now coming to a close.
