Before the season even began, Kentucky Basketball was already dealing with an injury bug. Forward Milan Momcilovic jammed his finger but is now healthy and played against Little Rock, while guard Jerone Morton suffered a knee injury and will be re-evaluated in several weeks.
Forward Kam Williams continues to recover from a second surgery on the broken foot he suffered in February. Williams returned for the SEC and NCAA Tournaments but required another procedure after his recovery stalled.
Meanwhile,
forward Trent Noah re-aggravated his hamstring injury earlier this summer and remains sidelined.
Following Friday night’s exhibition against Little Rock, Kentucky head coach Mark Pope provided an update on Noah’s recovery and explained why getting Williams back on the court is becoming increasingly important.
“With Trent, he’s kind of struggling a little bit right now to regain his health,” Pope said. “It makes it even more important that we get Kam back on time. So we’re hopeful. We’re hopeful.”
Hearing that Noah is struggling to regain his health with a hamstring he’s hurt several times already isn’t what you want to hear as the regular season draws closer.
Thankfully, Williams is making good progress and appears close to being cleared to practice.
For Pope, having a healthy or nearly healthy roster is crucial after injuries have repeatedly disrupted his first two seasons in Lexington.
During his first season, Kentucky lost Jaxson Robinson and Kerr Kriisa to injuries, while Lamont Butler missed time off and on late in the season. In Pope’s second season, starting guard Jaland Lowe was also sidelined, while Williams missed a significant portion of that campaign because of his foot injury.
Additionally, forward Jayden Quaintance never fully recovered from his torn ACL in time to contribute on the court.
Recurring injuries have made it difficult for Pope to maintain a consistent rotation and get his best players on the floor together. With another season underway, Kentucky will hope to avoid a similar situation. The Wildcats need Williams and Noah to regain their health and Morton to work his way back.
There is still plenty of time for Kentucky to get healthy, but the Wildcats will need to be injury-free if they hope to reach their potential this season.
