Mar 4, 2025; Lexington, Kentucky, USA; Kentucky Wildcats forward Brandon Garrison (10) runs down the court after scoring during the first half against the LSU Tigers at Rupp Arena at Central Bank Center. Mandatory Credit: Jordan Prather-Imagn Images Jordan Prather-Imagn Images

Improvement in decision making will be a massive offseason goal for Kentucky C Brandon Garrison

Originally posted on Kentucky Wildcats on SI
By Andrew Stefaniak | Last updated Aug 28, 2025 9:59 AM ET

In Mark Pope's offense, it is very important that he has a big man who is able to distribute the basketball. Last season, Amari Williams was excellent in this role, especially later into the season.

This season, Coach Pope will have two new centers learning this role. These two players are Malachi Moreno and Jayden Quaintance. Moreno is a freshman Kentucky native seven-footer who should thrive in this "Point-Center" role that is crucial in Pope's system.

It is still to be seen how Quaintance will handle this role, but he is a high-level athlete, so fans don't seem to think it will be a big adjustment for him. Right now, the issue with Quaintance is that he is trying to get healthy after an ACL tear, so he is missing valuable reps practicing in this point-center role.

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More than likely, the player who will get the nod at center to start the year is Brandon Garrison, who was on the team last season. Garrison averaged 5.9 points, 3.9 rebounds, and 1.9 assists per game in his first season as a Kentucky Wildcat.

The former McDonald's All-American showed flashes of greatness last season, but at the same time, there were sometimes where he made poor decisions. One of the goals this offseason for Garrison should be to improve as a decision maker, and if he does this, Kentucky will be just fine while they await the return of Quaintance.

Jordan Prather-Imagn Images

Garrison plays the game with a lot of passion, and he has the makings of an elite player. This offseason will matter a lot for his future as a basketball player because he is going to play a large role for Kentucky.

Once Quaintance is back on the floor for the Wildcats, Garrison will likely become the backup center for this basketball team. In the system Kentucky runs the play of Garrison will make or break some games, so fans need to hope that he has done a lot of developing during the summer.

If Garrison plays good basketball this season, it means Kentucky is one of the best teams in college basketball.

This article first appeared on Kentucky Wildcats on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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