2025-26 Kentucky basketball player preview: Jaland Lowe

Kentucky's starting point guard, Jaland Lowe, is going to be one of the most important players on the team. Mark Pope brought Lowe in to be one of the main facilitators, and he will have plenty of options around him. Last season, the 6-1 guard averaged 5.5 assists per game. That's going to be his biggest strengths, but Kentucky fans should get excited about his efficiency.

Lowe's efficiency numbers from his time at Pitt were not good, as despite averaging 16.8 points per game, his efficiency was low, as he shot just 37.6 percent overall and just 26.6 percent from three, averaging 1.3 makes per game off of 5.0 attempts. Mark Pope is already working at improving his efficiency, as earlier this summer, he had some high praise for how his shooting has been in practice, saying, "He was our leading three-point shooter field goal percentage shooter in five-on-five competition this summer, just right under 42 percent." That's something that will be one of Lowe's main priorities heading into the season.

If the 6-1 guard can improve his efficiency, as it looks like he already is, Kentucky fans should be really excited about not just Lowe, but the trajectory of Kentucky basketball this season, because as the leading facilitator and point guard, he'll be the engine of Kentucky's offense.

What could Lowe's stats look like for the Wildcats this season? Let's make a prediction.

Points: 13.4 per game

Lowe was asked to do A LOT last season as it pertains to scoring the ball, but that load should be eased significantly, as Mark Pope and the Kentucky staff have been focused all summer on improving his efficiency. With all of the weapons he will have around him to facilitate for, his scoring should go down, but it will likely be much more efficient than how he was used at Pitt, as he was asked to do so much for them on the offensive end.

Assists: 6.5 per game

Facilitating is going to be Lowe's bread and butter this season. Nothing is expected to change much in terms of the 6-1 guard's usage with passing the ball, but he'll have way more valuable options around him to get those assist numbers up. With returning star guard Otega Oweh looking to become more of a three-point threat, as well as incoming transfers Kam Williams and Denzel Aberdeen already being really good shooters, he'll have the ability to find a number of knock-down shooters on the perimeter, not to mention finding those cutting to the basket, which will again be an empasis in Pope's offense this season.

Rebounds: 2.1 per game

Lowe's rebounding numbers were surprisingly high last season at Pitt, as he averaged 4.2 boards per game, despite being 6-1. For reference, Otega Oweh, who is 6-4, averaged 4.7 rebounds last season. Lowe's rebounding should take a significant drop this season, and not in a bad way. With how many players Kentucky has to clean up misses down low, the 6-1 guard will not get his hands on much of them.

Lowe will be one of Kentucky's most important players, and if his improvements in effiency this summer translate to the games, he'll be one of the best guards in the SEC, as he is already seen as one of the best facilitators heading into the season.