Jasper Johnson put on a show in Overtime Elite preseason debut

Jasper Johnson played the first game with his new team at Overtime Elite on Wednesday. It was only preseason action, but the Kentucky commit showed exactly why he’s expected to be one of the best players in this league for the 2024-25 season.

Suiting up for Rod Wave Elite (RWE), Johnson dropped 27 points, six rebounds, two assists, and two steals in nearly 37 minutes against Wilson Academy in a 90-82 victory. The 6-foot-5 five-star guard shot 9-17 from the field overall, including a 3-8 mark from deep. He did not record a single turnover either and finished 6-8 from the free-throw line.

In the highlights below, you’ll see Johnson throw down a lefty dunk, kiss a scoop shot off the glass, nail a stepback three in his defender’s face, and much more that will get you excited for his freshman season at UK.

Not a bad senior season debut for the Bluegrass native and future Wildcat.

KENTUCKY COMMIT Jasper Johnson looked spectacular in his RWE DEBUT 🌟 @BruhJasperJ

27 PTS
6 REB
0 TURNOVERS pic.twitter.com/mfGq67dEiL

— Overtime Elite (@OvertimeElite) September 26, 2024

Johnson wasn’t the only notable player on the floor though. Playing alongside him in RWE’s backcourt is Tay Kinney, a 2026 point guard ranked No. 25 overall in his class by the On3 Industry Ranking. Like Johnson, Kinney was also born and raised in the state of Kentucky and is now being heavily courted by head coach Mark Pope and the rest of his staff.

Next to Johnson, Kinney finished with 12 points, five rebounds, two assists, and one steal in just under 35 minutes. The 6-foot-2 floor general, originally from Newport, shot 5-8 from the floor and went 2-3 from long range. There might not be a more dangerous backcourt in all of OTE (or even all of high school hoops) than Johnson and Kinney. Both had plenty of impressive moments during the OTE Combine earlier this week, too.

“I like the team. Me and Taylen, we were talking about that in the summertime when he had committed to Overtime, talking about teaming up and stuff like that,” Johnson said on the Sources Say podcast earlier this month. “Finally seeing us on the same team is gonna be a good feeling.”

It should also be a good feeling for Pope, who is already making Kinney a priority target in the 2026 class. Along with Kentucky, Kinney has earned offers in recent months from the likes of Louisville, Villanova, Auburn, Michigan, Arkansas, Kansas, Texas, and others. Not only will Johnson serve as Kinney’s teammate this season, but he’ll also serve as an extra recruiter for the Wildcats.

“It definitely works in our best interest to team up,” Johnson added.

RWE will return to play on Thursday, Oct. 3 for another preseason game against Hoop Nation. It will be the second of four exhibitions before the regular season gets rolling in mid-October.