"You need guys like Jaland Lowe": Analyst claims Kentucky's latest transfer fixes major flaw in Mark Pope's offense

Mark Pope and the Kentucky Wildcats received a major boost when they landed a commitment from Pittsburgh transfer Jaland Lowe. The sophomore guard is one of six new players to join Kentucky's 2025 transfer class.

The 6-foot-3 Lowe put up 16.8 points, 4.2 rebounds and 5.5 assists per game last season for the Panthers.

What impressed analyst Brandon Ramsey in particular was the guard's shooting from deep. He believes Lowe can drastically improve Kentucky's perimeter game. Lowe made 41 3-pointers on 154 attempts, good for 26.6 percent.

"Well, first off, the dude made over 40 threes. And I think sometimes volume is really important," Ramsey said during a Sunday episode of "Zoom Action" on the KSR YouTube channel (TS: 11:34). "Think about the discussions we had last year where we were all just clamoring, like, I want to shoot 30 threes. I want to shoot 30 threes, and we pretty much never did it.

"Jaland's going to help you get there. Now, there are going to be games where you're mad about the percentages because he goes one for seven, but sometimes you have to roll the dice on that. If you want to be about shooting 30 threes, then you need guys like Jaland Lowe who are going to put them up."

Ramsey further emphasized Lowe's elite free-throw shooting as a key indicator of his potential for improvement in 3-point shooting. Lowe shot 88.6% from the free-throw line last season.

Last season, Kentucky averaged just 25.3 3-pointers per game, which was 78th in the nation. Their two leading 3-point shooters last season in Jaxson Robinson and Koby Brea are both no longer with the team after using up their college eligibility.

Mark Pope shares what excites him about coaching Jaland Lowe next season

Kentucky coach Mark Pope cannot wait to start coaching Jaland Lowe, who committed to the Wildcats back in April. Pope is excited to have Lowe on the team, praising the Texas native's ability to score and pass.

"He's a guy that's been through it. You know, he's a veteran player," Pope said during a press conference last week. "Put up big numbers last year, carried a huge responsibility.

"He wants to be a guy that steps into a program where he wants to stir the drink. He wants to make guys better. He wants to elevate guys and wants to be around guys that have a ton of gravity on the court. He's hungry to do that and he's a special talent."

Along with Jaland Lowe, Pope has also added other top transfers, such as a former five-star recruit, Jayden Quaintance, from Arizona State and Denzel Aberdeen, a reigning national champion with Florida.

The Wildcats will be looking to improve on their 24-12 record from last season, which ended in a Sweet 16 loss to Tennessee.