Kentucky basketball's best player off the bench might surprise fans

Kentucky fans need to be ready for this Wildcat to have a big season.

Ansley Almonor is shown during Fairleigh Dickinson University basketball practice, in Teaneck, Thursday, October 19, 2023 / Kevin R. Wexler/NorthJersey.com / USA

Kentucky fans already are excited about players like Andrew Carr, Koby Brea, Jaxson Robinson, Otega Oweh, Lamont Butler, and Amari Williams but one name that isn't discussed all that much but should is Ansley Almonor.

Last season at Fairleigh Dickinson, Almonor averaged 16.4 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 1.7 assists per game. Almonor was the 44th best three-point shooter in all of college basketball last season as he went 93 of 236 for a percentage of 39.4 from deep.

He is only 6'7 but has played center and power forward during his entire college basketball career, so he is used to being undersized at his position.

Almonor will likely come off the bench for Carr, and these two players do a lot of the same things. Almonor is just in a smaller frame than Carr. There is a world where Almonor is the Wildcat's best player off the bench this season, thanks to his shooting and ability to help on the glass.

Almonor will come in the game for the Wildcats and immediately become a mismatch for any defender on the floor. If Almonor has a season where he shoots the ball well, passes to open players for shots, and helps on the glass, he will be a massive part of why this team has a solid season and goes on a run in March.

Kentucky Athletics sent out this quote from Coach Pope about Almonor, “Ansley is one of the best shooting mid-major bigs out there, and he is a tremendous mover without the basketball. He’s a fearless competitor with great leadership qualities. Ansley is a finance major who comes from an unbelievable family from Haiti. He’s a great addition to this roster as a veteran presence with a lot of college basketball under his belt.”