Mar 23, 2025; Milwaukee, WI, USA; Kentucky Wildcats head coach Mark Pope reacts during the second half in the second round of the NCAA Tournament against the Illinois Fighting Illini at Fiserv Forum. Mandatory Credit: Benny Sieu-Imagn Images Benny Sieu-Imagn Images

Three players who could take over as starters for Mark Pope's Kentucky Wildcats

Originally posted on Kentucky Wildcats on SI
By Andrew Stefaniak | Last updated Sep 18, 2025 12:50 PM ET

With the college basketball season right around the corner, Kentucky fans are ecstatic to see this team take the floor for the first time. For the most part, it seems like the starting five is set for the Wildcats. Jaland Lowe, Denzel Aberdeen, Otega Oweh, Mo Dioubate, and Brandon Garrison will be the starting five for Kentucky's first game of the season.

Once Jayden Quaintance is healthy from his ACL surgery, he will take over as the starter over Garrison, but it will be quite deep into non-conference play before this happens.

While these are the projected starters for the Wildcats, this is the deepest roster in college basketball, and there are a handful of players who will try to take over in the starting lineup.

Let's take a look at three Kentucky players who could take over in the starting lineup.

Three Kentucky Wildcats who could steal a starting spot this season

Kam Williams

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One player that we at Kentucky Wildcats On SI have been believes in for a very long time is Kam Williams. He isn't a player that many fans have talked about, perhaps because he committed so early, but his numbers at Tulane were quite impressive. The Field of 68 was at practice this week, and one of the stars of the show was Williams. He is a knockdown shooter, and if he proves he can't miss, it will be hard to keep him off the floor.

Jasper Johnson

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Jasper Johnson is a true freshman sharpshooter for this Kentucky team who is going to be a star. Like Williams, he is one of the best shooters in college basketball, and if he is hitting more shots than Aberdeen, it will be hard to bring him off the bench instead of starting him. Johnson is going to be a player that can put up a lot of points in a short period of time so he could take over as a starter for this team.

Andrija Jelavic

One of the wildcards on this basketball team is the European power forward Andrija Jelavic. He has been playing professional ball for a while now, so he should be well prepared for college basketball even in the physical SEC. Dioubate is the projected starter at the power forward spot, but he is a defensive-minded player. If Jelavic's offensive game and shooting are elite, it will be hard to keep him off the floor, knowing he isn't a sieve on defense.

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

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