Andrija Jelavić's teammates have seen him 'blossom' over the last couple of weeks

Andrija Jelavić has been in Lexington for nearly two months now, but he’s still in the process of finding his way on a deep and loaded Kentucky roster. According to his teammates, the light bulb is beginning to flicker on.

“You can just tell by the way that he plays, he’s got a great feel for the game, that European touch,” Kentucky guard Jaland Lowe said of Jelavić at SEC Media Days on Tuesday. “I’ve seen him really blossom, especially these last two weeks. He’s put together a lot of great practices. He’s starting to finally feel in control a little bit more, just getting accustomed to everything. He’s doing really good, he’s on the right track, and we’re excited to have him because he brings a lot of flavor that not a lot of players have.”

That flavor is a 6-foot-11, 21-year-old sophomore big man who can run and stretch the floor. He averaged 11.0 points, 7.4 rebounds, 1.5 assists, and 1.0 steals per outing last season playing professionally in Serbia. In fact, Jelavić already had two years of pro experience before arriving in the United States. This is not your typical college newcomer situation.

“I’d say he’s one of the fastest learners I’ve ever been around,” Lowe added. “Coming two months, three months later than everybody else, and then still being right on page around this time, right before the season starts. It’s great to see.”

So while Jelavić has still needed time to play catch-up with the rest of his teammates, he’s finding his rhythm at the ideal moment. UK is less than two weeks away from hosting top-ranked Purdue in an exhibition matchup. Even better, Preseason SEC Player of the Year Otega Oweh returned to practice on Monday — the first time that Oweh and Jelavić have been able to practice together all offseason.

“(Jelavić) is getting better every single day,” Oweh said. “It’s hard when we had the whole summer to build our foundation, and obviously it was a new team, so everyone was new, but we were going. So Yela came a little late, but he’s been really good, really physical. He’s having to guard a lot of physical guys: Mo (Dioubate), BG (Brandon Garrison), Malachi (Moreno). It’s getting him better and he’s been shooting it really well and he has a staff around him that, they want to see him succeed. And they’re pushing him.”

Nobody, the coaching staff included, will truly know how Jelavić’s game will translate from what he experienced internationally to the highest level of college basketball until he actually hits the floor. That opportunity is coming soon, though. The fanbase got a small taste of it when Jelavić was going shot-for-shot with Trent Noah in the Big Blue Madness 3-Point Contest over the weekend, which Noah won by only a few more makes.

They’ll get the full meal here soon enough.

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