Will the NBA still be full of Kentucky talent during the Mark Pope era?

Will Mark Pope put a lot of talent in the NBA?

Kentucky head basketball coach Mark Pope listened while Louisville basketball coach Pat Kelsey spoke at the 2024 Leadership Louisville Luncheon at the Kentucky International Convention Center in downtown Louisville on Wednesday, August 28, 2024. / Jeff Faughender/Courier Journal & USA Today Network / USA TODAY NETWORK

The Kentucky basketball program has taken a huge shift this offseason as John Calipari left for Arkansas, and Mark Pope is now the head coach of the Wildcats. During the Calipari era, a lot of elite talent was put in the NBA. According to The Ringer's Top 100 NBA Players list, 11 of them are former Wildcats. The question is, will Kentucky still put a lot of talent in the NBA under Coach Pope?

When Coach Pope had his introductory press conference, he said his goal was to have a healthy mix of McDonald's All-American Game talent and veteran players. Some didn't believe Coach Pope would have much success recruiting, but in the 2025 class, he has already landed to five-star prospects in Jasper Johnson and Malachi Moreno. Both of these players have NBA upside.

It feels like Coach Pope is still going to put talent in the NBA, but it won't be at the same rate that Coach Calipari did, but at the end of the day, this could be good for Kentucky.

On the 2024-25 roster, there are players like Jaxson Robinson, Collin Chandler, and Brandon Garrison, who all have NBA upside, but these players won't go in the lottery. This roster balance Coach Pope will have during his time as Kentucky's head coach will help this program still send players to the next level while also winning a lot of games and making runs in the NCAA Tournament. Coach Pope is delivering on his plan early into his tenure as the Wildcats head coach.