Kentucky Wildcats' Resurgence Hinges on Lowe's Return and Quaintance's Presence

Key Quotes

"I talked a lot about it on the post game show I mean if kentucky does something successfully this season if they're able to make any kind of run we'll look back at the moment all of that changed the second half when jaylen lowe decided to come back in after his injury in the first half and jaden quaintance arrived to uk fans for a second half where kentucky ended up winning by 19 points in the second half against saint john's and really took a season that had been depressing at best and completely flipped it around all of a sudden made it exciting the possibilities endless the ceiling raising and watching lowe and quaintance on the court at the same time you got a sense now ryan of what they were hoping to do when they constructed this team and it was electric"

Matt Jones argues that the second half of the game against St. John's, specifically when Jaylen Lowe returned after an injury and Jaden Quaintance entered the game, marked a significant turning point for the season. Jones highlights that this moment flipped a "depressing" season into an "exciting" one with "endless possibilities." The author emphasizes that seeing Lowe and Quaintance play together provided a glimpse into the team's intended construction and created an "electric" atmosphere.

"for the first time you're right we got to see what the full roster what a full roster looks like what that 22 million roster looks like and i'm telling you man when jaylen lowe came in early and got hurt and walked to the locker room i thought he's done i mean not just done for a day he is done i too oh i don't even thought i assumed ryan i mean i just assumed he was done and then the kid comes back just tells me everything i need to know about that kid so tough kind of struggled early but then he turned it on when he needed to and they are just they're just a different team when he's on the floor man they just everything is better offensively and even defensively when he's on the floor"

Ryan highlights the significance of seeing the full roster, referred to as the "$22 million roster," on the court for the first time. He emphasizes Jaylen Lowe's toughness and determination by noting that Lowe returned to the game after an injury that Ryan initially believed would sideline him for the season. Ryan states that Lowe's presence on the floor makes the team "different" and improves both their offense and defense.

"yeah i mean that you no one in this team drew can can kind of create their own shot consistently besides him but then you throw in the quaintance piece where you get this physical presence we've seen a lot of those guys over the years these guys that just physically are just a different player he is that and you know kentucky has not had that oscar was like that but he was below the rim we it's been a long time since we've had a dude like that and just seeing him on the court it's like oh my goodness wow"

The speaker points out that besides Jaylen Lowe, the team lacks consistent individual shot creators. However, the addition of Jaden Quaintance provides a much-needed "physical presence" that the team has not had in a long time. The speaker contrasts Quaintance with Oscar Tshiebwe, noting that while Tshiebwe was physically imposing, Quaintance offers a different type of dominant presence, evoking a strong positive reaction from seeing him on the court.

"i have high expectations for him long term but in his first game i didn't expect much out of him out of him i mean he hadn't played a full game of basketball since february so for him to come in and play the way he did when he'd get like 15 minutes and then there were moments especially when he was getting those putback dunks i'm like do we have shaq on this team i mean the way he was throwing those down that's been an issue for for a few years especially last year guys wouldn't dunk it guys wouldn't challenge shots i mean on the offensive end he was putting everything back and had think five offensive rebounds and defensively he made zubi look like a fool he was calling off the help defense and just got him laughing at him yes zubi had no chance yes and then the way you're exactly right the way he defended with no help there was no reason to help i mean he he zubi twice had moves that if it was anyone else on the court he's he not only tries to score he likely does no chance with quaintance"

This speaker expresses surprise at Jaden Quaintance's performance in his first game, given he hadn't played a full game since February. The speaker notes Quaintance's impressive putback dunks, comparing him to Shaq, and highlights his offensive rebounding and defensive prowess. The speaker specifically mentions Quaintance's ability to defend without help, making it impossible for his opponent to score.

"i want to go back to lowe though for a second because jaylen lowe i i've thought since they built this team that he had to be good to me i've said going back from the beginning of the season he had to be a while he had to be the guy without him i didn't think we'd be as bad as we were but i knew we wouldn't be good it is so nice though ryan to see it manifest itself right he did in that second half he did everything okay i mean think about it drives to the basket finishing with layups floaters he made a three great passes he beat his man off the dribble and that that is a good defensive team saint john's can't score but that's a top 15 defense in the country and he absolutely shredded them and if you go back and look at the possessions where he's in we get a good shot on every possession even when we miss we get a good shot it is unbelievable and then in contrast that with when he's out and we get no good shots it feels like every time we score we're almost fortunate it is unbelievable to see how much easier this game is or and how much better this team is when he's on the floor"

The speaker emphasizes Jaylen Lowe's crucial role, stating that he "had to be the guy" for the team to be good. The speaker expresses satisfaction in seeing Lowe's potential "manifest itself" in the second half against Saint John's, a top-15 defense. The speaker details Lowe's offensive capabilities, including driving, finishing, making threes, and passing, and contrasts the team's consistent good shots when Lowe is playing with the team's struggles and reliance on "fortune" for scoring when he is not on the floor.

"i i got to be honest i never thought he was going to be an nba guard second half showed me he's an nba guard he could be he could be yeah i mean i don't know if he is but he could be yep and just the things you were talking about that he's doing that'