Don't be shocked if Jaland Lowe leads the SEC in assists in 2025-26

Mark Pope picked Jaland Lowe to be his starting point guard next season for many reasons, but the Pittsburgh transfer’s ability to make plays for others and get his teammates easy looks is chief among them.

“Jaland is an incredibly explosive, playmaking, veteran point guard,” Pope said earlier this month in UK’s press release announcing Lowe as a Wildcat. “He’s a great kid who has a tremendous work ethic and most importantly, loves this game and wants nothing more than to win.”

Lowe had to do a little bit of everything as a sophomore at Pitt. After filling in as a role player as a true freshman, the 6-foot-2 lefty saw his usage rate skyrocket the following season in 2024-25. Alongside another talented guard, Ishmael Leggett, those two did anything and everything for a below-average Panthers squad.

As the lead guard, Lowe averaged 16.8 points, 5.5 assists, 4.2 rebounds, and 1.8 steals in 35.4 minutes per outing for Pitt last season. His shooting numbers left something to be desired (37.6 FG%, 26.6 3PT%), but a career free-throw percentage of 87.7 indicates there is plenty of room to grow in that department. At Kentucky, he’s not going to attempt the 14.3 shots per game he did at Pitt. The Wildcats’ leader in that category last season was Otega Oweh at 11.7.

It’s not the shooting that will make Lowe a central piece of Pope’s offense in year two as head coach — it’s the playmaking.

Jaland Lowe has been excellent to start the year — can’t keep him out of the paint, he’s routinely turning the corner when defense put 2 on the ball and his passing has been ridiculous

Lowe already has 10 assists to 2 teammates: Ish Leggett + Cam Corhen pic.twitter.com/is0aMWjr6R

— Brian Geisinger (@bgeis_bird) November 24, 2024

Lowe’s 5.5 assists per game last season ranked fifth in the ACC last season. His assist percentage (an estimate of the percentage of teammate field goals a player assisted while he was on the floor) of 31.1 percent also ranked fifth in the league. Compare that to the SEC, and Lowe would have ranked second in assists per game to only Tennessee’s Zakai Zeigler (7.4 APG). Lowe would have finished third in assist percentage.

Don’t be shocked if the Texas native leads the entire Southeastern Conference in assists during the 2025-26 campaign. Let’s make the case.

Lowe’s scoring load at Kentucky is going to be much less than what it was at Pitt. His 14.3 shots per outing will likely drop to single digits. Lamont Butler took just 7.7 shots per game as UK’s point guard last season while also posting a career-best 4.3 assists per contest. By being surrounded with more talent, Lowe should naturally see an uptick in assists and a drop in shot attempts.

What could trip up Lowe is what will likely be a decline in playing time. Pope has recruited a 12-man roster with intentions of using nearly all of them in the rotation. Oweh’s 28.3 minutes per game led Kentucky last season. Lowe saw 35.4 minutes per game last season at Pitt — expect that number to dip just under 30 in 2025-26. But not to the point where it will have a significant impact on his passing numbers.

Lowe could easily average out to around six assists (or more) per game at Kentucky. The SEC is also losing the majority of last season’s best playmakers. Of the league’s top 10 players in assists per game, only Arkansas’ DJ Wagner (10th; 3.6 APG) will return next season. There will be new competition from the likes of Tahaad Pettiford (Auburn), Xaivian Lee (Florida), Dedan Thomas (LSU), Frankie Collins (Vanderbilt), and others. But Lowe is set up to engineer what will likely be one of the best offenses in the country.

This is not a shot at Butler by any means, but if he was able to clear four assists per game at Kentucky, then Lowe should be able to clear six. Lowe is a more creative playmaker and should have better talent around him than Butler did. He’s craftier at getting into the lane and keeping his dribble alive.

Lowe can whip on-target passes across the court with one hand. He’s a constant threat as a lob passer in transition or the pick-and-roll, and can sneakily wrap passes around defenders without looking. He’s especially patient navigating through traffic and does a great job at probing in the lane before making his move. Cutting teammates should love playing alongside Lowe.

If someone is open, he will find them. Kentucky’s bigs and shooters should have plenty of fun playing off of Lowe in 2025-26.