How Jaland Lowe's injury could 'change his basketball career' for the better

Jaland Lowe‘s season is officially over. Kentucky’s junior point guard will soon undergo surgery on his right shoulder to repair an injury he initally suffered during the Blue-White Game back in mid-October. No matter how many times he worked his way back into the Wildcats’ lineup, he would eventually suffer a setback. Sidelining him now was the best option for his long-term on-court career.

But off the court, this unfortunate injury could end up giving him a brand-new perspective on the game of basketball. A floor general on the hardwood, Lowe will now learn what it means to be a different kind of floor general from the bench.

“If he does this right,” Kentucky head coach Mark Pope said Tuesday. “Then this is going to change his basketball career.”

Over the last few months, while Lowe was rehabbing his non-shooting shoulder and doing whatever he could to suit back up for the Wildcats, he’s been absorbing information and being the ultimate cheerleader for his teammates. He’s not one to sit on the bench and feel bad for himself while his team is out there playing — he’s always up and communicating, encouraging, and teaching. Following Kentucky’s comeback win against Tennessee over the weekend, Lowe broke down the postgame locker room huddle after they all finished celebrating.

Watching from the sidelines goes beyond being a good teammate, though. Lowe is also helping Pope and his staff scout upcoming opponents. Lowe was part of scouting the Texas backcourt ahead of the Longhorns’ showdown with Kentucky on Wednesday night in Rupp Arena.

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“He did a great job on the scout yesterday,” Pope said. “He handled the backcourt personnel, and I thought it was terrific. So he’s digging in there. I think there’s so much that he can learn and grow, so many ways he can grow right now. I think he can grow as a leader. I think his ceiling is to be an elite-level leader. I think he’s going to get a chance now to see this from the other side, from the schematic side, and from the communication side in a new way that he’s never had a chance to see it.”

Obviously, Lowe would prefer not to be injured. He would prefer to be out there as Kentucky’s starting point guard. In the nine games he did play this season, it was tough for him to find a groove after constantly being moved in and out of the rotation. He averaged eight points and 2.4 assists per outing on 35.8 percent shooting before going down for good on Jan. 10 against Mississippi State.

But there will be opportunities for Lowe to get better in spite of his injury, even if it’s not directly related to his on-court development. Physically and mentally, he can focus on his recovery. He can also engulf himself in being a secondary assistant coach for the ‘Cats. Especially for a point guard, that knowledge can go a long way.

“If he does this right, then this is going to change his basketball career,” Pope added. “The education he’s able to get now, there’s no other way he would get this than the unfortunate injury. So I expect him to dig in, and I expect him to come out of this a different human being, to think about the game different, to think about how he communicates with his teammates different, to think about how to unify a group different. I expect him to really grow.”