Jan. 13, 2026, 4:42 p.m. ET

The Kentuky Wildcats haven’t had the season that everyone was hoping for. While there is still time to turn things around and March isn’t quite here, the Cats have been a team with many significant holes, and the loss of Jaland Lowe won’t make those any smaller.

However, that doesn’t mean that they are short of talent, as the Wildcats still have at least one of the most sought-after players in college sports. While Jayden Quaintance has been struggling with swelling and injuries since his return to the court, he’s still seen as a lottery pick in the 2026 NBA Draft. Quaintance missed the first few months after tearing his ACL, among other knee injuries, in February.

Here’s part of what ESPN’s Jeremy Woo wrote on Quaintance, while playing him as the eighth overall selection to the Chicago Bulls.

“Quaintance sat out Kentucky’s game over the weekend with what was described by coach Mark Pope as knee swelling, a situation NBA teams will hope doesn’t turn into a prolonged absence coming off of his ACL surgery last March. Results have been uneven in his four games back, with a strong game against St. John’s his only notable showing, in which his physicality and defensive play impressed. Opinions on Quaintance are more mixed than this placement might indicate, as scouts have questions about his offensive limitations as a smaller center who probably won’t space the court or warrant focused touches. But the dearth of top-end center prospects in this class and Quaintance’s strong defensive potential should keep him in the conversation for teams targeting frontcourt help,” Woo penned.

Of note, Woo had Darryn Peterson going No. 1 to the Indiana Pacers and AJ Dybantsa going No. 2 overall to the Sacramento Kings.

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There isn’t a ton else to report for Kentucky faithful. Quaintance is really the only player expected to hear his name called, although Jasper Johnson and Malachi Moreno could certainly be in that list in the coming years.

So far this season, Quaintance is averaging 5.0 points, 5.0 and 0.8 blocks per game. Expect to see more of the center in the near future.