No matter how much or little he plays, Aaron Bradshaw is going to bring the joy

Aaron Bradshaw has been showing off his fun-loving personality since before the season even began. With a mouth still filled with braces, the 7-foot Kentucky freshman is always flashing a wide smile. He’s the first to pump his fists or let out a scream in excitement, both on and off the court.

It doesn’t matter how much playing time he sees either — Bradshaw is going to bring the same level of energy and positivity, which doesn’t take long to spread across the rest of the roster. None of it is a ruse. What you see from Bradshaw on TV or hear in interviews is exactly what he’s like behind the scenes.

“He’s got a joy to him that a lot of people don’t have,” Kentucky assistant coach Chuck Martin said on Friday. “Whether he plays 10 minutes or plays 20 minutes, obviously he’s a competitor, he wants to play, he wants to compete, but he just has a joy to him. He lights the room up when he walks in, or lights the gym up. Everyone is better when he’s around. I think he knows that. I think he understands that. I think he understands how he affects (Zvonimir Ivisic) and (Ugonna Onyenso) and the rest of our team, and I think Z has publicly mentioned that before how AB has helped him along this journey.”

Bradshaw’s minutes have fluctuated all season long. He went from averaging 20 minutes per game over his first 12 appearances (his debut wasn’t until early December after recovering from offseason foot surgery), which dipped to just 14 minutes across the next five games, and then nose-dived to a mere seven minutes per outing over his last six contests.

With Ivisic, Onyenso, and Bradshaw rotating in and out of the center position, it’s natural that minutes will jump around. Ivisic is beginning to establish himself as the go-to big man, but that could easily change as we head into the postseason. All three bring something a little bit different to the table. Bradshaw has still shown he can make an impact. It was only last week that he went for 15 points and five rebounds in just 12 minutes during a win over Arkansas.

But there are also times when Bradshaw struggles to stay on the floor. At 225 pounds, he is lighter than Ivisic and Onyenso. The physicality of SEC competition has proven to give him fits. He never lacks any energy, but fouling around the rim has been an issue at times. Opposing bigs can push him around with ease.

Bradshaw is versatile enough to counter some of that though. He’s still a reliable shot blocker on defense and can stretch the floor on offense. The next step is throwing his body around against other centers and mucking things up — and doing so with that signature smile.

“We’re talking to Aaron and all the other guys on our team about physicality, intensity — we could talk to them until we’re blue in the face, they’ve got to experience it,” Martin added. “I think Aaron now, as the season has wound down, he’s got a better feel for what it means to be physical in the SEC. What it means to be a little bit more challenging at the rim in the SEC.

“So there’s a point of reference, and I think he understands that and he’s gotten better. He’s gotta continue to get better. But you can clearly see those moments where you can see his talent and you can see how he can impact our program in a positive way. We’re excited about his development as well.”

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