Malachi Moreno sees shades of Rob Dillingham in Jasper Johnson, Kentucky's current assist leader

Freshman guard Jasper Johnson is still finding his way in Kentucky’s rotation, but the talent is clearly there.

Johnson has looked promising in three of the Wildcats’ four games this season, although he was mostly a non-factor in the fourth. He went for 11 points and four assists in the season-opener against Nicholls, nine points and five assists in game two against Valparaiso, and then eight points, seven assists, and five rebounds in Friday’s win over Eastern Illinois. Let’s not forget he also dropped 15 points (6-10 FG) and three assists in an exhibition win over top-ranked Purdue.

The only dud was his 0-4 shooting performance in just six minutes against Louisville on the road.

In the regular season, that puts Johnson at per-game averages of seven points and four assists in 17.3 minutes. His 16 assists are a team-high through four games. With the ball in his hands as the pick-and-roll operator, he’s been impressive with finding the roll man for easy buckets. He’s also a respectable 6-16 from deep (37.5 percent). The Lexington native hasn’t seen a shot attempt he didn’t like.

“Jasper’s great for us. Elite freshman,” Senior guard Denzel Aberdeen said on Monday. “Comes in with elite confidence all the time. He gives 110 percent, he’s gonna be great for us.”

While not carbon copies of each other, Johnson has drawn comparisons to another crafty guard who used to play for the Wildcats: Rob Dillingham, a former lottery pick who is now in season two with the Minnesota Timberwolves. During Monday’s pre-Michigan State press conference with the media, fellow Kentucky freshman Malachi Moreno recalled watching Dillingham go off for four three-pointers in two minutes against Kansas in the 2023 Champions Classic.

Moreno sees that kind of talented scoring instinct in Johnson, too. The Big Blue Nation will be hoping to see Johnson replicate a Dillingham-esque performance when Kentucky faces No. 17 Michigan State on Tuesday night at Madison Square Garden in this year’s edition of the Champions Classic.

“I think Jasper definitely fits in the role of Rob, just how shifty they are and how they can finish with both hands and finish pretty acrobatically,” Moreno said. “We’ve seen Jasper do a lot of different things. I think drawing that comparison is a great fit.”

Especially with point guard Jaland Lowe back on the mend after re-injuring his non-shooting shoulder, Johnson could see an even larger role moving forward. If he can put together a consistent effort on both ends of the floor, there’s no reason that won’t happen.

“He’s not afraid of the physicality,” Moreno added. “He’s willing to take a hit to the chest if he has to and he’s willing to make a stand defensively. He’s really trying to prove himself and to solidify that he’s one of the better guards in the country, one of the better freshmen guards in the country.”

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