When Kentucky point guard Jaland Lowe went down against Mississippi State, it was obvious that others would need to step up to fill that void. In that game, and the two games since, Denzel Aberdeen has done just that.
Against MSU, Aberdeen scored 16 points, including 10 in the second half, as the Cats rallied to win. Against LSU, Aberdeen was held scoreless in the first half, but exploded for 17 in the second half as UK rallied to win again.
Then on Saturday, Aberdeen scored 18 of his 22 points in the second half as Kentucky rallied to win for the third consecutive game. UK head coach Mark Pope likes how Aberdeen continues to take on a bigger role for his team.
“He’s been really big,” Pope said. “He took a giant step last week. It’s having a better sense of what we’re trying to accomplish on the court. He made huge plays. His decision making was elite, his ball protection was elite, his shot making was elite.”
Pope thought Aberdeen was as good as anyone in the Southeastern Conference last week.
“I thought he had an incredible week,” Pope said. “I don’t know who in our league probably had a better week than him. I thought he was incredible under duress. I’m really proud of him.”
However, Pope does not believe that he has seen the best of Aberdeen just yet.
“I think he’s still got a huge upside,” Pope said. “(Last week), I think he did a really good job of taking what was there. I thought his reads were elite. I thought they were really good.”
Aberdeen and the Cats return to action on Wednesday, hosting Texas at Rupp Arena (7 p.m. ET, SEC Network). Kentucky will be looking to win its fourth straight and if they do, there’s little doubt that Aberdeen will have a part in making it happen.
