For months, Big Blue Nation has echoed the same question: When is Jayden Quaintance coming back? The star forward and projected top NBA Draft pick was supposed to return to contact drills in September after ACL surgery in March. That deadline has passed, leaving fans and the team waiting. With the season opener looming, head coach Mark Pope is facing constant questions about the health of his most important player.
Mark Pope All High Praises About Jayden Quaintance, Yet a Return to Court Remains a Question
When Pope met with the media at the Joe Craft Center this week, he was praised for his young star. He started the session with a laugh and a story that perfectly captured Jayden Quaintance’s competitive energy. “I could tell stories for days about him. He was just at the house. This got so depressing,” Pope said, smiling.
“He was beating me so bad in a game of chess that we invented a new rule where I get to turn the board one time,” Pope admitted, adding that he barely escaped with a draw. “This JQ is stories for days.”
However, the conversation shifted from lighthearted games to Quaintance’s challenging rehabilitation. Pope provided a hopeful update on the process. “The one thing I can tell you,” he said, “is he’s breaking every record known to humankind in terms of his rehab.”
According to the coach, team trainers recently informed him that the recovery numbers were “insane.” Quaintance’s strength asymmetry, the imbalance between his injured and healthy leg, dropped from 46 percent to just three percent in weeks. Even more impressively, Kanga Tech data now shows he is 20 percent stronger than the average NBA player of his size. “This dude is big, strong, hulking, brilliant,” Pope said. “Timewise, he’s recovering fast, but we’re proceeding with extreme caution.”
That caution is key because the Kentucky Wildcats know what they have in Quaintance. With him in the lineup, Pope gets a defensive monster who averaged 9.4 points, 7.9 rebounds, 1.5 assists, 1.1 steals, and 2.6 blocks per game as a freshman at Arizona State. At just 17 years old, he made the Big 12 All-Defensive and All-Freshman teams, showing his NBA potential long before his move to Lexington. The ACL tear in February and surgery in March dramatically altered that timeline.
Just weeks ago, college basketball insider Jon Rothstein reported on X that Quaintance “has still not been cleared for non-contact work.” That update was a surprise, given that September was supposed to mark his full return to contact drills. The window is tightening with Kentucky’s season opener against Nicholls set for Nov. 4. Pope admitted that their expectations for a quick return were always “maybe-ish.” However, there is still plenty of reason for optimism.
While Quaintance isn’t practicing live yet, his physical growth during the offseason has been monumental. He arrived in Kentucky at 6-foot-9 and 215 pounds. Today, he stands an inch and a half taller and 40 pounds heavier, measuring at 6-foot-10 and a half and 255 pounds. Beyond his size, Quaintance has rebuilt his shot, improving his free-throw shooting from 48 percent to over 80 percent.
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Despite all the progress, the Wildcats continue to be cautious. They may not have their star big man ready for the early part of the season, but they are not sweating it. Pope clarified that the focus is on the long game, ensuring Quaintance can thrive at Kentucky and later in the NBA.
“We’re striking a balance,” Pope explained. “He’s got an incredible future, and we want to make sure he gets every opportunity to be great and to go on and do all the great things he’s destined for after Kentucky.” While the official reason is caution, perhaps Pope is also keeping Quaintance off the court to protect him from early-season injuries.
Avoiding setbacks now means Quaintance could get a real shot at a deep run in March. This patient strategy also protects Quaintance, as another injury could cause his draft stock to fall if he cannot perform late in the season.