Kentucky basketball is riding a wave of momentum, and at the heart of it is a player who wasn't even supposed to be the guy running the show.
After an 0-2 stumble to start SEC play, the Wildcats have rattled off three straight conference wins - and while plenty of names have stepped up during that stretch, no one has seized the moment quite like Denzel Aberdeen.
The sophomore guard has been thrust into the point guard role following a season-ending injury to Jaland Lowe. It’s not the position he expected to be in, but Aberdeen has embraced the challenge, and over the past week, he’s done more than just hold things together - he’s helped elevate Kentucky’s offense when it needed a steady hand the most.
“He’s been big, he’s been really big,” head coach Mark Pope said. “His decision-making was elite, his ball protection was elite, his shot making was elite.
His defensive assignments were really solid. He had an incredible week.”
That week included clutch performances in back-to-back road wins - first at LSU, then in a gritty comeback over then-No. 24 Tennessee. And while the numbers tell part of the story, it’s the way Aberdeen has managed the game that’s really caught Pope’s eye.
In Knoxville, Pope didn’t hesitate to put the ball in Aberdeen’s hands down the stretch and let him go to work. The result? A composed, confident floor general who made the right read time after time.
“The ball must’ve been in his hands for six minutes in the second half,” Pope said. “He just made great decision after great decision.”
Aberdeen’s assist numbers might not have popped off the page, but Pope made it clear that he’s not measuring success solely by the box score. What matters more is how Aberdeen is reading the game in real time - not predetermining outcomes, but reacting to what the defense gives him.
“I think he did a great job taking what was there,” Pope said. “His reads were elite. His ability to get in the lane and be patient, to let the play actually develop - that was elite.”
To illustrate his point, Pope offered a metaphor from his ongoing chess battles with freshman big Jayden Quaintance. In chess, as on the court, the key isn’t just reacting quickly - it’s creating time to make the right move.
“You buy yourself time on the court by physically being intentional,” Pope explained. “That’s actually the greatest skill of decision making. You make faster progress if you buy yourself more time to make a decision than you do if you just try to make decisions quicker.”
That kind of poise has been on full display. Aberdeen hasn’t just been a facilitator - he’s been a scorer when Kentucky has needed it most.
He opened the win streak with 16 points, including a pair of threes. Then came 17 points in Baton Rouge, followed by a breakout 22-point performance in Knoxville, where he overcame early foul trouble to deliver in crunch time.
Over those three games, he also went 14-for-15 from the free throw line - a 93% clip that underscores just how locked in he’s been.
Aberdeen’s emergence couldn’t have come at a better time. Kentucky has been forced to reshape its identity amid a string of injuries, and finding a reliable floor leader has been crucial. With Jasper Johnson and Collin Chandler also seeing time at point, the Wildcats have leaned on Aberdeen’s experience and calm under pressure.
And Pope doesn’t think we’ve seen the ceiling yet.
“He’s still got huge upside,” Pope said.
Kentucky’s schedule doesn’t get any easier. The Wildcats will face Vanderbilt and Arkansas before the month is out, with a home matchup against Texas next on the docket.
That game tips off Wednesday night at Rupp Arena at 7 p.m. ET and will be broadcast on SEC Network.
KenPom gives Kentucky the edge, but continued success will hinge on whether Aberdeen can keep steering the ship with the same confidence and control he’s shown during this recent surge.
Right now, he’s not just filling in - he’s flourishing.