Jayden Quaintance can be an intimidating shot blocker but says UK has a lot of tremendous defensive players this season. (Photo by Larry Vaught)

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Sophomore Jayden Quaintance is still recovering from a knee injury suffered late in his freshman season at Arizona State last season but he’s making his presence felt at Kentucky.

He averaged 2.6 blocked shots per game last year despite being only a 17-year-old freshman. Quaintance has vowed to be ready to play early in the upcoming season even though UK coach Mark Pope continues to preach patience to make sure he’s fully ready for Southeastern Conference play.

However, nothing is wrong with Quaintance’s voice and point guard Jaland Lowe says he’s talking a lot while watching his teammates practice.

“He’s been talking crazy to us. He’s like, ‘Y’all lucky. I’m gonna be out here blocking y’all’s shots, too.’ He’s like, ‘Y’all know I was leading the country in blocks before I got hurt,’” Lowe said.

“We were like, ‘Yeah, we’ll see when you get out here. You’re gonna have to prove it to us.’”

However, Lowe suspects he’s going to back up his words, especially since he’s being projected as a lottery pick in the 2026 NBA Draft.

“How naturally he is just in his body — it’s like, ‘Yeah, that guy’s gonna be really special.’ Hands are huge. Length,” Lowe said. “Just a big body. So that’s going to be amazing when he comes back. I’m ready to play one on one against him.”

Quaintance knows he’s not the only defensive threat Kentucky has this season.

“I feel like we could be one of the best defensive teams in the country,” Quaintance said. “We have a really long team. We have a lot of height and length on our team.

“We have people pushing full court, guarding full court. We have people in the backcourt in gaps, in help, in rotations, and we have a really good chance to be special this year defensively.”