Davion Mintz "adds another dimension" for Kentucky on both ends

Davion Mintz returned for a sixth and final year of eligibility — his second at Kentucky — to help the Wildcats make a run under college basketball’s brightest lights. He wanted to be the same high-level scorer he was in 2020-21, but play on a successful team and do so with the roar of 20,000-plus fans cheering him on at Rupp Arena.

To open the season, though, the scoring aspect of that equation hasn’t consistently been there. He scored in double figures twice in two of Kentucky’s first four games (13 vs. Robert Morris, 12 vs. Ohio), but a total of five points in the other two.

Mintz’s early shooting slump

Mintz then got sick and was forced to miss three games over a two-week stretch, sitting out from Nov. 19 (Ohio) to Dec. 7 (Southern). Upon return, the sixth-year guard struggled to shake off the rust, shooting just 9-35 (25.7 percent) from the field overall and 5-23 (21.7 percent) from three over the course of his next five games.

Through the shooting slump, Mintz admitted it had “definitely been tough” adjusting after the illness, adding that his two-week layoff “did kind of throw off my rhythm.”

He knew, though, his shot would start falling again sooner rather than later.

“I’m super excited to come out and know I have another chance every other game to find my rhythm again,” Mintz said Jan. 3. “When it does fall, look out.”

Building confidence

It started with a 10-point performance vs. High Point on Dec. 31, his first double-digit game since Nov. 19. He followed it with 16 points at LSU on 4-12 shooting and 3-8 from three before exploding for 19 points on 7-10 shooting and 5-7 from three in a home win over Georgia. Mintz finally got the shooting breakthrough he had been desperate to find, knocking down 16-30 shots overall and 8-18 from deep.

“Finally, right? It felt amazing,” Mintz said after his breakout performance vs. Georgia. “It had to pay off, I’ve been working my tail off every day, every night, getting extra shots. I’ve been working tirelessly. It can’t rain forever, the sun’s got to come out eventually. I was happy to see that.”

Another consistent scorer

It was a performance that sparked long-term optimism during the second half of the season and postseason play. We know what’s there with Sahvir Wheeler, TyTy Washington and Kellan Grady in the backcourt. Add another consistent scoring piece to that mix, and a team that has already put up 90-plus points in five games — already the most for Kentucky since 2017-18 — becomes even more lethal.

“It’s huge, it just adds another dimension for us. It gives us another scorer,” UK assistant coach Jai Lucas said of Mintz. “I was happy for him last game to finally have a breakthrough for himself, because he’s one of those guys that shows up every day, works hard and doesn’t go through the motions. Everything he does is full speed, so I was happy for him to do that.

“When he can get, you know, that type of comfort within the game where he’s making open shots and runners and floaters and some of the passes and stuff he made, it just adds a different layer to us. He’s a guy that could come off the bench and he’s capable of getting 15 off the bench. It just gives us more confidence in our scoring and ability to get to certain numbers.”

Adjusting to the role

In his debut campaign in Lexington, Mintz led the Wildcats in total points (288), 3-pointers (56), assists (77) and double-figure scoring games (17). Averaging a team-high 11.5 points in 2020-21, he became the first Kentucky player to return to school after leading the team in scoring average the previous season since Randolph Morris in 2006-07.

It’s certainly an adjustment to no longer be Kentucky’s go-to scoring option, but Mintz has embraced his role as an offensive spark plug off the bench. The value of having a scoring threat of his caliber raises both the floor and ceiling of this team, directly impacting the win column for the better.

“He’s the returning leading scorer from last year, so you know, he’s a guy who just got his 1000-point ball — that’s an accomplishment,” Lucas said. “It’s a testament to him and what he’s been able to do because it is hard, you know what I mean? I’m sure it’s not what he expected coming back, but it’s been the best thing for the team so far this year. He’s kind of bought into that and been able to help us in that way.

“Kind of like I said, last game was kind of a breakthrough game for him, so hopefully now he has a better comfort level and just a little more confidence in being able to do that every game.”

Defense is a major plus

And it extends beyond the shooting and scoring. With Sahvir Wheeler out vs. Georgia with a neck injury — he’s listed as day-to-day — Mintz also stepped in as the team’s defensive stopper on the perimeter. In fact, that was what stood out to John Calipari, not just the shots he hit.

“Davion was outstanding,” Calipari said after the win. “And I know you’re saying, ‘Well he made shots.’ No. He defended, he came up with balls, he tried to take charges, he flew.”

Beyond Wheeler, the staff feels Mintz is the team’s “next most capable” defender and will continue to rely on him in that area moving forward.

“That was the biggest difference in the first half of the Georgia game, we didn’t have anybody pressuring the ball. And they were able to get in their offense and get good looks, coming off the ball screen and getting good shots,” Lucas said. “In the second half, Davion did a great job of picking up the ball and pressure. I think that was the biggest difference being without Sahvir, and that’s what we’re gonna have to ask Davion to do. We think he’s the next most capable one.

“… Davion did a great job in the second half of Georgia, and that’s something that is gonna be big (moving forward). Going into Vandy, we have the preseason SEC Player of the Year (Scotty Pippen Jr.), so we’ve got to do our job on him.”

Kentucky will take on Vanderbilt in Nashville on Tuesday at 7 p.m. ET, live on ESPN.