John Calipari Gives Injury Update on DJ Wagner, Players Say They’re Missing His 'Leadership' and 'Grit'

On Saturday, DJ Wagner missed his second straight game as Kentucky took on No. 5 Tennessee, due to a lingering high ankle injury that has been nagging him for a good portion of the season. From the jump, it was clear Kentucky needed their point guard. While Wagner tried to communicate with his teammates and support them from the bench, he looked in frustration that he wasn’t out there as the Cats fell to a score of 103-92.

Following the game, John Calipari said, “It’s like you all know, when he (Wagner) doesn’t play, we don’t win.” That’s not to say he is discrediting the other players, Cal noted, “We’ve still got good players,” but it has made the task much more difficult.

“He does everything that we need him to do,” Reed Sheppard said of Wagner in his postgame interview. “You know, he’s really good at keeping guys on the game. And then on defense and offense, he’s just a dog.

Rob Dillingham who erupted for a team season-high of 35 points also talked about how important Wagner is to this Kentucky team. “Definitely missing him a lot because he helps us with like being a leader and helping us be together and he’s our point guard,” Dillingham said. “He’s got grit and DJ wants it. DJ comes to play every day and not everybody has that mindset. That’s why when we play, we miss him as our point guard. He comes to play every day and gets our starting five a push. So, just his mindset, leadership, and want to win.”

It shouldn’t be an excuse for the recent losses, but it’s clear just how important DJ Wagner is to this Kentucky team. So when can we expect Wagner back on the court? Not putting a specific date or timeline out, “I’m expecting him to play soon. Sooner than later,” Calipari said.