Kentucky star Jaland Lowe was the Wildcats’ best player during their 89-74 loss to the No. 13 Alabama Crimson Tide on Saturday evening. Lowe tallied 21 points, three rebounds, and two assists in 27 minutes of action from the bench.
Kentucky coach Mark Pope has utilized Lowe sparingly from the bench as the talented guard has been plagued by a shoulder injury that kept him out of action for a huge chunk of the season.
Jaland Lowe Addresses Limitations of Shoulder Injury
During his weekly news conference before the Wildcats host the Missouri Tigers on Wednesday evening, Lowe revealed how much his shoulder injury has held him back during games.
“Just the mental game. Even in practice, it’s a risk, playing in games is a risk,” Lowe said. “Coming back from so many missed games and not being able to play in the same exact way that I played in the summertime… Yeah, it’s frustrating, but if I wanna play I gotta do it.”
“I don’t know if ya’ll notice on TV as much or in-person, but sometimes when you’re on the court, you can realize that I’m not doing some things that I would love to do in the moment, just as a competitor and a fighter. I can’t do some of those things. I have to pull back sometimes just to not put myself at a huge risk.”
Despite limited game time, Lowe is averaging 9.0 points on 39.3% shooting from the floor and 21.1% shooting from beyond the arc, 2.1 rebounds, and 2.9 assists for the Wildcats this season.
As the only true point guard on the Kentucky roster, Lowe is one of Pope’s most important players, and the Wildcats have looked like a well-oiled machine whenever he has been on the court.
Despite his importance to the team, Pope has been reluctant to start the guard, leading to widespread frustration among Kentucky fans. Lowe revealed that he was not pushing for a starting role.
“That’s something I’ve come to try and realize this year is just to try and keep the mindset the entire time,” Lowe said. “No matter if I start, come off the bench, I feel like if you have the same mindset no matter what, then you’ll be able to produce. I don’t talk with them (about starting). That’s their own decision.”
The Wildcats’ expensively assembled roster is at its healthiest as SEC play heats up, and Lowe’s fitness could be the domino that turns around their patchy form during the most crucial part of the season.
