Kentucky basketball didn’t flip its season overnight, but one decision by first-year head coach Mark Pope marked a clear turning point. As the Wildcats slogged through inconsistency and frustration early in SEC play, answers weren’t obvious. Effort wasn’t the problem. Talent certainly wasn’t lacking. What Kentucky needed was alignment — the right roles, the right combinations, and the right mentality.
That alignment began to take shape on Jan. 14 in Baton Rouge.
That night, Pope made a quiet but consequential move, inserting sophomore forward Andrija Jelavic into the starting lineup for the road game against LSU. Since then, Kentucky has looked like a different team. The Wildcats have won seven of their last eight games, surged to second place in the SEC standings, and rediscovered the balance and edge that defines championship-caliber basketball.
Jelavic’s journey to that moment was anything but smooth.
The 6-foot-11 forward from Croatia entered the season with intrigue but uncertainty. Despite having already logged two professional seasons in Europe with a Serbian club, Jelavic struggled to carve out a consistent role during nonconference play. His physicality wasn’t translating. His shot confidence wavered. At times, he barely saw the floor — including three DNPs in the six games prior to his first start.
Rather than sulk, Jelavic leaned on perspective gained long before he arrived in Lexington.
“He understood it,” Pope said. “We talked a bunch. He said, ‘I get it. I knew what I was signing up for. This is how it goes.’”
That maturity would soon pay off.
Since becoming a starter, Jelavic has averaged 6.0 points and 4.1 rebounds in just over 17 minutes per game. Those numbers don’t leap off the stat sheet, but they fail to capture his true impact. Jelavic’s presence has unlocked spacing in Kentucky’s halfcourt offense and brought a new physical edge to the frontcourt — two things the Wildcats badly needed.
His shooting has been the most noticeable improvement. Jelavic has knocked down seven three-pointers as a starter and is connecting on 42.1% from deep in SEC play. Defenses can no longer collapse inside without consequence, opening driving lanes for Kentucky’s guards and forcing opponents into uncomfortable rotations.
“Spacing is always important,” Jelavic said. “If they guard us inside, we can shoot. If they’re aggressive, we can slash, we can back door.”
Just as important has been his transformation on the defensive end. Pope’s message to Jelavic was simple and blunt: play physical or don’t play at all.
“I’m getting used to hitting guys,” Jelavic said. “And I’m working on it to hit them even harder.”
That shift has shown up on film. Jelavic is battling for rebounds, holding his ground in the post, and contesting shots with more urgency. While he’s still learning — and had defensive lapses in games against Vanderbilt and Oklahoma — the growth is undeniable.
His teammates see it.
“He’s a stretch four with his outside game,” junior forward Brandon Garrison said. “Coach challenged him to be more physical, and I feel like he’s taking pride in that.”
Sophomore guard Collin Chandler highlighted another area of growth: confidence.
“Ever since he stepped on campus, Coach has been yelling at him to shoot it,” Chandler said. “Now nobody has to say anything. He’s shooting it, and he’s shooting it great.”
That confidence has been critical for a Kentucky team dealing with significant roster limitations. Injuries have thinned the Wildcats to just nine available scholarship players. Jaland Lowe and Kam Williams are sidelined long-term. Jayden Quaintance hasn’t played since Jan. 7. Freshman Braydon Hawthorne and junior Reece Potter are redshirting.
There is no margin for passengers.
Jelavic understands that better than most.
“Especially here, you’re as good as your last performance,” he said. “I knew the time would come when I could prove that. I knew things could change overnight.”
Assistant coach Jason Hart believes Jelavic’s early struggles were compounded by factors beyond basketball.
“He’s from another country, learning the language, the culture, the system,” Hart said. “When he had to sit, he had to learn. Sometimes that lights a fire. I don’t think he wants to go back to the bench.”
Neither does Kentucky.
Jelavic’s rise hasn’t solved everything, but it has stabilized a team that desperately needed it. Combined with Otega Oweh’s star-level play, Malachi Moreno’s emergence inside, and Pope’s evolving offensive approach, Jelavic’s development represents one of the clearest throughlines of Kentucky’s turnaround.
Sometimes, progress isn’t about making noise. It’s about trusting the process, embracing discomfort, and being ready when opportunity knocks.
Mark Pope made a move.
Andrija Jelavic answered.
Kentucky is reaping the rewards — and the season is just getting started.
