NBA scout shares unfiltered takes on Kentucky as a team, individual talent after Pro Day

KSR shared plenty of takeaways from Kentucky’s Pro Day event — the second under Mark Pope — but how do the scouts feel about the Wildcats after sitting courtside at Historic Memorial Coliseum? They do endless homework on the players leading up to the draft process, tracking their trajectory from high school, through college and into the pre-draft workout and combine stages before deciding just who to write on the card for Adam Silver when it comes time to make a selection. Lexington is an obvious stop for teams, especially this year, Pope building one of the deepest teams in the sport.

Are they Final Four good? Who are the pros? Any big-time surprises to monitor? KSR caught up with a scout in attendance to get their unfiltered takes on your Wildcats on the condition of anonymity.

How good can this Kentucky team be in 2025-26?

“I expect them to be one of the best teams in the country, because they have as much depth as anybody we’re going to see. I call them Noah’s Ark because they have two of everything. I literally have nine prospects on Kentucky’s team on my NBA Draft radar. I think that’s the most of any team I’m going to see this year.

“Another good thing about Kentucky is they’re going to rely a lot on sophomores and not just freshmen. You guys got Collin (Chandler), who’s had another year of experience in the program. Kam Williams is a sophomore, he’s got a year of experience. Trent Noah’s got a year of experience in the program. You got guys who are wildcards, but they’re not freshman wildcards. You’re counting on sophomores and I think that’s gonna be a benefit.

“If Otega (Oweh)’s jump shot has improved, and I’ve heard it has, you can stay consistent from the outside and you have the athletes to get up and down the court with anybody.”

Who were the biggest surprises?

“Collin (Chandler), for sure. I was surprised. He has a surprising handle and off-the-dribble game that I really wasn’t expecting. I’ve labeled him as an athletic kid who could shoot, but he can really put the ball on the floor and push the ball in transition. That’s one thing I wasn’t expecting from him. … He looks like the All-American I watched in high school.”

“It looked like BG (Brandon Garrison) has expanded his game a little bit as a ball handler and playmaking big. If those flashes can continue, you’re gonna have a lot of versatility in the way he can play because he’ll be able to play different styles against different teams. That’s gonna help him over the long haul.”

Is there anyone you need to see more out of?

“I would say coming out of last year, I was really high on Denzel Aberdeen — and I still am. I just want to see him shoot the ball more consistently. I think that the one thing that’s holding him back from being talked about on the NBA radar as high as he could be — because athletically and defensively, he’s got the tools — is that he’s not shooting the ball, or hasn’t shot the ball consistently well in the games that I’ve watched him play.”

Who will be the highest draft pick not named Jayden Quaintance?

“The wildcard for me is Kam Williams. If Kam is making shots, he’s going to be very attractive as a 6’8″ 3&D wing. But if he’s not, he may not even make the eight-man rotation. He’s probably got the biggest range of anybody on the roster. But if you’re asking me, he’s got prototypical NBA three size, he’s got the length and he’s got the jump shot to be somebody you have to watch as a first-round guy if he’s making shots.”

Who were the biggest standouts?

“The glue guy is Mo (Dioubate). He’s an NBA role player. … Every team needs a guy like him. It’s probably one of those things that he may not even be a regular season guy, but he’s a playoff guy. When the game slows down and gets gritty, you want guys like him you can put on somebody. He’s going to defend, he’s gonna play with energy, he’s gonna hustle, he’s gonna rebound. If he ever gets a jump shot, that’ll be an added bonus. He could be an eighth man on a lot of NBA rosters one day.”

“Jasper (Johnson) is going to put pressure on (Jaland) Lowe as he continues to learn how to play in a system and control his shot selection. When Jasper plays under control and he’s not playing me basketball, he’s playing team basketball, I really like how the kid plays. This summer, I think he got a little caught up in the hype, and he was selfish. I want to see him play more team-style basketball and continue to shoot the ball like he has. He’ll be fine.”

“I look at (Braydon Hawthorne) as a future guy because Kentucky is so deep, he may not get his moments on the floor he needs to blow up. But I’m penciling him in as a high target for next year. I like his length, his athleticism, his ability to shoot. He was able to get to the lane and elevate with a high release point on his jump shot. With his length, it makes him almost impossible to block. When I say he reminds me of Tayshaun Prince, I mean he really reminds me of Tayshaun Prince — and I saw Tayshaun Prince at the same stage. He’s a kid that may not get on the floor as much as he could if you’re trying to win games now, but he’ll be high on my radar for next year.”

What was your biggest takeaway from UK Pro Day?

“They ran one of the best pro days I’ve seen. It just goes to show that the whole team has bought into doing what Coach is saying. When you got buy-in from your players and you got a coach as good as Pope, I think it leads to an exciting season. They finished 26 seconds ahead of when they said they were going to finish, and that’s impressive. For a scout who’s watching seven pro days in nine days, finishing 26 seconds early is really good for me.”