Assessing the status of Kentucky's frontcourt lineup

After a successful debut campaign as head coach, Mark Pope has already reloaded Kentucky’s 2025-26 roster less than two weeks after the season came to a close. But there are still some positions that could use a boost through the transfer portal before a bow can be tied on top.

One clear need is a guard with size who can shoot the ball. There are plenty of options out there, with Kentucky focusing on the likes of Sam Houston State’s Lamar Wilkerson (who will visit UK this weekend) and Jacksonville State’s Jaron Pierre Jr. Both could fill that void.

Another area that could use some help is depth in the frontcourt. Of the 12 scholarship players currently on board for next season, eight of them are considered guards. A couple of them (Trent Noah and Kam Williams) are big enough to slide down a position, but from a pure-size perspective, Kentucky currently has just three players 6-foot-9 or taller. There’s also 6-foot-7 Alabama transfer Mouhamed Dioubate, who is more of a forward than a guard but can fit in at multiple positions.

Kentucky’s 2025-26 frontcourt depth as of April 10

• 6-7, 215 | Mouhamed Dioubate (Jr.)
• 6-10, 225 | Jayden Quiantance (So.)
• 6-11, 250 | Brandon Garrison (Jr.)
• 7-0, 230 | Malachi Moreno (Fr.)

Those are four talented pieces, all bringing various skills to the table. There is scuttle spreading about a potential transfer for Garrison (KSR’s Jack Pilgrim has more on him over on KSBoard), but until something becomes official, we have to assume he’ll be in the mix for next season’s rotation. I believe retaining him would be much better than letting him go. But even if he returns, more depth in the paint is never bad if the fit is right.

Pope’s offensive system is predicated on using big men as the hub of the offense. Playmaking centers are what he’s looking for. Garrison showed plenty of flashes in that area as a sophomore last season. Moreno has been a talented passer in his high school career, a major reason why Pope was drawn to him in the first place. Quaintance also has some playmaking chops (on top of his seemingly endless potential). Dioubate likely won’t fill that offensive hub role nearly as often as the other three.

But what all four of those frontcourt players lack is consistent outside shooting. Last season, the duo of Quantiance and Garrison shot a combined 18-72 (25 percent) from deep. Moreno was 3-11 from long range as a senior at Great Crossing. Dioubate did shoot over 46 percent, albeit on less than one attempt per outing. They can all improve during the offseason, but that creates some unknown factors in the meantime.

Pope was faced with this “issue” at times in his first year, and to his credit, found ways to make it work. Last season’s Kentucky frontcourt was actually quite similar to what it is right now — aside from the experience, which is no small note. Amari Williams, Garrison, Carr, and Ansley Almonor replicate a lot of the same qualities as Quaintance, Garrison, Moreno, and Dioubate — plenty of skill, but inconsistent shooting (Almonor is also more of a shooter than Dioubate though, who is more athletic and physical than Almonor). More than anything else, the latter group will just be far less experienced at the college level.

If Garrison ultimately does go into the portal, replacing him will be a must, but if he sticks around, it won’t be a necessity. Does Pope value having more depth, especially after last season’s slew of injuries? Or would adding a fifth frontcourt player complicate what is already in place?

There are options out there for Kentucky if the staff elects to take that route. A primary forward target who fits the mold is Robert Morris’ Alvaro Folgueiras. Named the Horizon League Player of the Year this past season as a sophomore, the 6-foot-9 forward averaged 14.1 points, 9.1 rebounds, 3.2 assists, 1.4 steals, and 1.2 blocks per contest. He shot 54.8 percent from the field and 41.3 percent from deep on 3.1 attempts per outing.

At the mid-major level, Folgueiras rebounded, assisted, defended, and shot the ball from deep at a high rate. His 7-foot-5 wingspan makes up for being “only” 6-foot-9. According to BartTorvik, the native of Spain was one of three players in the country last season to meet the following criteria:

• 5% offensive and defensive rebounding rate
• 20% assist rate
• 3% block rate
• 50% on 2-point FGs
• 35% on 3-point FGs

Duke’s Cooper Flagg and UAB’s Yaxel Lendenborg — the former the projected number one NBA Draft pick and the latter the best player to go into the portal this offseason — join Folgueiras as the only three to post those numbers in 2024-25.

Folgueiras doesn’t have to be the only option though. There will likely be more players in this mold entering the portal between now and the deadline on April 22. The UK staff can play this slowly.

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