How an injured Jaland Lowe is helping Denzel Aberdeen play the best basketball of his career

Jaland Lowe might be out for the season, but he’s finding ways to make an impact from the sidelines for this Kentucky men’s basketball team.

Not only is Lowe stepping up as a secondary coach by helping with pregame scouts, but he’s also using his knowledge as a floor general to teach his teammates during huddles and in timeouts. A pure point guard and vocal leader by nature, he’s been able to use what he’s seeing from the bench as a way to help his teammates on the fly.

But no Wildcat has benefitted more from Lowe’s experience and what he’s seeing on the hardwood more than his on-court replacement, Denzel Aberdeen.

“He’s been very resourceful,” Aberdeen said about Lowe during Friday’s pre-Ole Miss interviews. “The past couple of games at each media timeout, he’s always telling me if I did a play or something that he’s seen. And I’ll be like yeah I agree with him or see the same thing and I’ll just try to do it the next possession. I’m very grateful for him, he’s always talking to me, always letting me know what he sees.”

Lowe had been in and out of Mark Pope‘s lineup with a shoulder injury since the preseason before going down for good early in the win over Mississippi State on Jan. 10. He’s missed the last three games — all victories for the ‘Cats — since then, with Aberdeen filling in as Kentucky’s de facto point guard. While it sure would be nice to have a healthy point guard, the 6-foot-5 Aberdeen has done everything his team needs (and then some) to build the Wildcats’ current four-game winning streak.

Over the last four games with Lowe coaching from the bench, Aberdeen has posted per-game averages of 18.5 points and 2.8 assists with just 1.3 turnovers in 32 minutes while shooting 55.3 percent from the field, 52.9 percent (9-17) from beyond the arc, and 85.2 percent from the free-throw line. This isn’t the first time this season he’s had to step in as point guard, but it’s the first time all season he looks fully comfortable in that role.

“Denzel’s a national champion. He knows what it takes,” Freshman center Malachi Moreno said. “He’s embraced the role of like, he’s the best guard in the SEC. He’s become a dog at this point. Seeing that as your point guard, as your leader, it only makes everybody else around him so much better.”

This isn’t exactly unfamiliar territory for Aberdeen, either. During his national championship run at Florida as a junior in 2024-25, there was a stretch during SEC play where injuries to the Gators’ backcourt forced him into a larger on-ball role. In those five games (all wins), he recorded 14.4 points and 2.6 assists with 0.8 turnovers in 29.8 minutes per contest on shooting splits of 42.9/41.4/63.2.

But what he’s done the last few games for Kentucky is one another level.

“Most definitely,” Aberdeen said when asked if he’s playing the best basketball of his career right now. “I feel like I’m just going out there and trying to do the best I can to do whatever I can to win.”

As injuries continue to mount for this team, Aberdeen has been a steadying force in keeping the engine running.

Subscribe to the KSR YouTube Channel for press conferences, interviews, original shows, fan features, and exclusive content.