What is Jasper Johnson's upside as a true freshman for Kentucky?

One of the biggest wildcards on the 2025-26 Kentucky basketball team is Jasper Johnson. The five-star true freshman has a ton of upside, and his true freshman season can play out a lot of different ways.

Johnson recently played in the FIBA U19 World Cup in Switzerland, where he and Team USA won the gold medal, and Johnson played well in this event. He didn't get a ton of shot volume to put up crazy numbers, but in his limited shots, he turned heads.

Johnson will be one of the best shooters on a team that is going to be shooting the ball a lot, so he will have his opportunities to shoot the ball.

Most anticipate Johnson coming off the bench for this basketball team, and if that is the case, he will be asked to score the ball and be somewhat of a sparkplug.

There are a lot of players on this team who will be fighting for playing time. Johnson will be fighting with Collin Chandler, Kam Williams, and Denzel Aberdeen for playing time this season, and these guys won't be the easiest to beat out.

Johnson will be on the floor as he is an elite freshman, and if he fully taps into his potential for this team, he could even start for Pope's Wildcats.

If Kentucky is going to be a top five team in college hoops, they will need a player like Johnson to exceed expectations. Johnson will be an NBA player someday, and an elite freshman season could lead to him going to the draft this year.