Is Jasper Johnson hiding in plain sight?

[MdWIldcat55]

I'm looking forward to the Nike Hoop Summit and checking out Jasper Johnson. But I'm not going to put too much weight on an all-star game, unless he goes full Jamal Murray, 2015 Nike Summit...

That possibility aside, it feels like Kentucky fans are overlooking this guy a bit, while going into a meltdown an hour over every portal signing by any other program. I don't see him discussed the way top recruits have been on this board over the years.

It's not like Kentucky hasn't gotten some good results from freshmen guards. Johnson looks big, athletic and skilled to me. Is it possible his contribution is being undervalued at this point? That wouldn't surprise me.

 

[bookerfan66]

No I think most expect him to be really good.

 

[UKWildcats1987]

I mean as much as UK is paying him he better do good things.

 

[Wildcat-in-STL]

I think people are acting like our recruits and returning players are garbage when in fact, I'd take Johnson, Lewis, Oweh, Kam Williams, and Chandler over those UL guys

 

[Smashcat]

Isn't talked about much. When he's hot can score in bunches. Plays way too fast at times but has the ability to play some backup PG.

 

[EliteBlue]

I think people are acting like our recruits and returning players are garbage when in fact, I'd take Johnson, Lewis, Oweh, Kam Williams, and Chandler over those UL guys

I think it’ll take a couple cycles of this for people to get use to having quality returning players again.

Ppl still have shiny object syndrome, partially bc it’s new and something to discuss, but also bc our seasons have solely depended on the “incoming class” the last 16 years.

Obviously the incoming guys are still huge this season to include our freshmen who I think are being undervalued due to the “Pope only got them bc they are instate guys” narrative, but I suspect the deeper we get into the Pope era, the less incoming spots we will need to fill yearly until it’s about 50/50. Pope going after Portal guys w multiple years left is an indicator that’s his vision…w a little luck you don’t have the serial transfers transfer out after a single year

 

[ukfan1622]

JJ is of the same approximate size and athleticism as Oweh with less muscle but a better handle and shot. I expect him to be one of the better freshman guards in the country. It seems to me that most here have a similar opinion.

 

[UKWildcats1987]

Some people are giving themselves whiplash trying to post that Kentucky is too cheap to compete while also complaining that Kentucky is paying players too much...Maybe it's like Goldilocks said, "just right."

I'm just going by this boards MO of saying don't overpay for freshmen. Someone said he's getting 2 million so he will start and be expected to do well. I think he will.

Idk about UKs overall NIL warchest compared to other competitive programs.

 

[Bluefinger]

I'm looking forward to the Nike Hoop Summit to checking out Jasper Johnson. But I'm not going to put too much weight on an all-star game, unless he goes full Jamal Murray, 2015 Nike Summit...

That possibility aside, it feels like Kentucky fans are overlooking this guy a bit, while going into a meltdown an hour over every portal signing by any other program. I don't see him discussed the way top recruits have been on this board over the years.

It's not like Kentucky hasn't gotten some good results from freshmen guards. Johnson looks big, athletic and skilled to me. Is it possible his contribution is being undervalued at this point? That wouldn't surprise me.

Don't sleep on Acaden Lewis or Moreno either! The Freshman are great additions

 

[Fox2monk]

I'm looking forward to the Nike Hoop Summit to checking out Jasper Johnson. But I'm not going to put too much weight on an all-star game, unless he goes full Jamal Murray, 2015 Nike Summit...

That possibility aside, it feels like Kentucky fans are overlooking this guy a bit, while going into a meltdown an hour over every portal signing by any other program. I don't see him discussed the way top recruits have been on this board over the years.

It's not like Kentucky hasn't gotten some good results from freshmen guards. Johnson looks big, athletic and skilled to me. Is it possible his contribution is being undervalued at this point? That wouldn't surprise me.

I love our freshman class, that don’t mean we need some upperclassmen stars though. Which we do in spades after losing our entire starting core outside Oweh.

 

[Digger-Cat]

I think a lot of it is seeing what it took to win in the SEC this year.
Seems like an easy trap to fall into for us fans. Players this year needed to be physically and mentally strong to win against any SEC team and it felt like the court, in conference play, was no place for women and children.
Also, it's been a while since UK has had a truly dominant freshman that didn't pee down his leg when the chips were down, so it's hard to trust young guys these days and, as far as I know, none of our incoming guys are lottery pick type talents (correct me if I'm wrong).
I also think we're all ready to move on from the Cal era and start relying on known commodities.

 

[Digger-Cat]

Oh, one last thing. One of the most accurate things about most freshmen is, they're very consistent at being inconsistent.


So while I'm anxious to see what these young guys can do, I'm just so done with relying on high school kids, give me a good seasoned veteran in most cases, especially when the stakes are at their highest and the other team is throwing hamakers.

 

[chasingwildcat]

I think a lot of it is seeing what it took to win in the SEC this year.
Seems like an easy trap to fall into for us fans. Players this year needed to be physically and mentally strong to win against any SEC team and it felt like the court, in conference play, was no place for women and children.
Also, it's been a while since UK has had a truly dominant freshman that didn't pee down his leg when the chips were down, so it's hard to trust young guys these days and, as far as I know, none of our incoming guys are lottery pick type talents (correct me if I'm wrong).
I also think we're all ready to move on from the Cal era and start relying on kn
own commodities.

Auburn's freshman guard is very solid in sec plays

Same with asa naswell, starter im a tournament team, killed amari and carr in that uga game

 

[electricat2]

jj is good......very good
dam travesty he was not a mcd aa

 

[Digger-Cat]

Auburn's freshman guard is very solid in sec plays

Same with asa naswell, starter im a tournament team, killed amari and carr in that uga game

There are definitely exceptions, we know that more than anyone. We had some freshmen from 2009/10 through 2016/17 , plus Tyrese Maxey, Dillingham and Tyty that were tough as nails, but from 2017/18 through the 2024 season, we had a lot of young guys that melted down a lot.

 

[electricat2]

There are definitely exceptions, we know that more than anyone. We had some freshmen from 2009/10 through 2016/17 , plus Tyrese Maxey, Dillingham and Tyty that were tough as nails, but from 2017/18 through the 2024 season, we had a lot of young guys that melted down a lot.

very true, but also guys were not helped much with game planning.
i think lewis and jj will surprise people

 

[Aike]

There are definitely exceptions, we know that more than anyone. We had some freshmen from 2009/10 through 2016/17 , plus Tyrese Maxey, Dillingham and Tyty that were tough as nails, but from 2017/18 through the 2024 season, we had a lot of young guys that melted down a lot.

SGA? Kevin Knox? Herro? Keldon Johnson?

 

[Digger-Cat]

very true, but also guys were not helped much with game planning.
i think lewis and jj will surprise people

Great point, that is some great… .3 phase switch gear kinda stuff there electricat 😜.

Pope will give these guys a great environment and mindset going into each game. There was no way he could have possibly won the games he won this year if he was just an average game prep and adjustment guy. He showed just how good he is, especially considering the injuries this team had. Incredible.

 

[Digger-Cat]

SGA? Kevin Knox? Herro? Keldon Johnson?

Yeah, they were great after they left, but that 2018 team had what, 7 NBA talents? Lost 10 games and lost to a bad K-state team that only played their best player a few minutes.

Keldon and Herro were really good and that 2019 team is often overlooked, it was a good team. I wasn't pointing at them when I made that statement.

Boston and Askew put up enough stink to fog it up bad enough to where you have to throw the 2019 team in just to make the concoction drinkable. (I'm half joking)

 

[BlueInBrooklyn]

I think it’ll take a couple cycles of this for people to get use to having quality returning players again.

Ppl still have shiny object syndrome, partially bc it’s new and something to discuss, but also bc our seasons have solely depended on the “incoming class” the last 16 years.

Obviously the incoming guys are still huge this season to include our freshmen who I think are being undervalued due to the “Pope only got them bc they are instate guys” narrative, but I suspect the deeper we get into the Pope era, the less incoming spots we will need to fill yearly until it’s about 50/50. Pope going after Portal guys w multiple years left is an indicator that’s his vision…w a little luck you don’t have the serial transfers transfer out after a single year

This is a big piece. We went from a very specific type of recruiting to a complete 180. It just feels like there shouldn’t be anywhere else to go… if you’re a Uk fan.

 

[aceman509]

I think it is smart to take a wait and see approach on these freshman now. We were burned too many times in the past 5 years when the last guy was coaching.

Johnson may end up being a stud, but he isn't a sure thing. He certainly shouldve been a McD AA, but the fact he wasn't does mean he is not a surefire slam dunk.

 

[Digger-Cat]

Do you guys agree that the best thing you can do with young guys, is surround them with good veterans, so they don’t have to carry too big of a load?
If all they have to do, is come in and play free and do their jobs. I feel like it gives them the best possible arena to thrive.

 

[Aike]

Yeah, they were great after they left, but that 2018 team had what, 7 NBA talents? Lost 10 games and lost to a bad K-state team that only played their best player a few minutes.

Keldon and Herro were really good and that 2019 team is often overlooked, it was a good team. I wasn't pointing at them when I made that statement.

Boston and Askew put up enough stink to fog it up bad enough to where you have to throw the 2019 team in just to make the concoction drinkable. (I'm half joking)

18 team wasn’t losing because of SGA and Knox. And I left out PJ because that team was EE if he makes his FTs.

 

[chasingwildcat]

18 team wasn’t losing because of SGA and Knox. And I left out PJ because that team was EE if he makes his FTs.

If not PJ, we would never be closed to win

PJ was dominant in that game

 

[Digger-Cat]

18 team wasn’t losing because of SGA and Knox. And I left out PJ because that team was EE if he makes his FTs.

PJ definitely choked at the FT line both years, which helps the point I'm making. .
While SGA and Knox ended up being good (Knox) and ultra elite (SGA) after they left UK, the truth is, that was an incredibly talented team, playing in a weak SEC and they were not a good team at all.

 

[chasingwildcat]

PJ definitely choked at the FT line both years, which helps the point I'm making. .
While SGA and Knox ended up being good (Knox) and ultra elite (SGA) after they left UK, the truth is, that was an incredibly talented team, playing in a weak SEC and they were not a good team at all.

We had probably the easiest cupcake path to ff in history that year and we screwed up with 7 future nba players

 

[BlueMist24]

How would Jasper Johnson compare to a freshman Tyrese Maxey? I’ve not watched him play much but on a comparison stand point are they similar?

 

[chasingwildcat]

How would Jasper Johnson compare to a freshman Tyrese Maxey? I’ve not watched him play much but on a comparison stand point are they similar?

Tyty is a more suitable comparison

Jasper is more athletic than tyty

 

[Digger-Cat]

C

We had probably the easiest cupcake path to ff in history that year and we screwed up with 7 future nba players

Calipari has to get most of the blame there, but even as talented as that team was, they weren't good enough to overcome Cal's deficiencies like the guys from 2009-2017 (and 2019) were.

SGA, as we all know now, had talent oozing from every orifice, but in his 1 year of college, the freshman in him wasn't good enough. It definitely wouldn't be good enough in today's SEC.

That team looked lost in that KSU game, about as lost as we looked last year against Oakland.

 

[Digger-Cat]

How would Jasper Johnson compare to a freshman Tyrese Maxey? I’ve not watched him play much but on a comparison stand point are they similar?

Maxey is a good example of what I'm getting at and I meant to bring this up earlier.
In that November game against Michigan State in the CC, he dominated. We thought we had our cheat code, but nope, he didn't have very.many more games like that, if any.

Of course, that team had Hagans at pg and that probably threw Maxey off, he needed the ball in his hands, but still, he was extremely inconsistent.

 

[BleedBlue13]

Yeah these 3 are freshmen that will contribute from day one, not projects to get buried on the bench. Oweh and Jasper at the 2 and 3 is exciting because both can go get a bucket.

 

[Aike]

If not PJ, we would never be closed to win

PJ was dominant in that game

He dominated the boards, but we definitely lost because he missed 12 free throws. Both can be true.

 

[Aike]

Maxey is a good example of what I'm getting at and I meant to bring this up earlier.
In that November game against Michigan State in the CC, he dominated. We thought we had our cheat code, but nope, he didn't have very.many more games like that, if any.

Of course, that team had Hagans at pg and that probably threw Maxey off, he needed the ball in his hands, but still, he was extremely inconsistent.

That team won the SEC with Maxey as a starter. So not the worst result.

 

[Digger-Cat]

That team won the SEC with Maxey as a starter. So not the worst result.

Right, but Maxey was very inconsistent. He was incredible in the MSU game, but we never saw that performance again.

 

[Aike]

PJ definitely choked at the FT line both years, which helps the point I'm making. .
While SGA and Knox ended up being good (Knox) and ultra elite (SGA) after they left UK, the truth is, that was an incredibly talented team, playing in a weak SEC and they were not a good team at all.

They were good. They weren’t great.

5 seed who made the Sweet 16. Maybe not quite up to UK standards, but objectively good for any college basketball team.

 

[Aike]

Right, but Maxey was very inconsistent. He was incredible in the MSU game, but we never saw that performance again.

He was fine. Went for 20+ five more times after that.

 

[Old_Head]

I’m as excited for JJ as I’ve been for an incoming freshman in a long time. He’s big time!

 

[CastleRubric]

No I think most expect him to be really good.

who's he remind you of?

 

[Edgarman]

I'm just going by this boards MO of saying don't overpay for freshmen. Someone said he's getting 2 million so he will start and be expected to do well. I think he will.

Idk about UKs overall NIL warchest compared to other competitive programs.

No way in heck is he getting anywhere close to $2 Million or even $1 Million. I think we as fans are throwing out crazy unrealistic numbers for these players.

 

[PhattyJ4UK]

Chandler is my pick for someone next year being severely underestimated and taken for granted.

I think he makes huge strides and is one of our most important players by end of year.