Kam Williams was available, but Kentucky kept him on the sideline Friday night.
That was the strange part of a 78-77 escape against Northern Arizona, a game the Wildcats had to claw back from the edge of disaster. Williams, who returned to action just one week earlier after multiple foot surgeries, did not play a single second despite having appeared in Kentucky’s previous two games.
He had made his season debut in a win over James Madison, where he logged nine minutes and finished with two points, one rebound and one assist while still shaking off the rust from not playing since March. Four days later, he was back on the floor for four minutes in Kentucky’s 20-point loss to Kansas. Then came Friday, when he never got off the bench.
Head coach Mark Pope said after the game that Williams is healthy, even if the staff is easing him back into things.
“Kam is kinda working his way back,” Pope said postgame. “He’s healthy.
He’s okay. But we’re trying to work him back gently.”
Williams is expected to matter for Kentucky this season. He was finding his rhythm last year before suffering a Jones fracture, and his combination of size, shooting and defense gives the Wildcats a player who can fit in multiple spots.
Against Northern Arizona, that kind of help would have been useful. The Lumberjacks shot better than 50 percent from the field and from three, and they beat Kentucky on the glass by 12.
Still, there are other possible explanations for the DNP. Williams may not be all the way back physically, or he may simply not be where the coaching staff wants him yet in practice.
Pope also leaned heavily on a six-man rotation late as Kentucky was hanging on. However it’s sliced, Williams’ absence was notable in a game where every possession mattered.
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