Film Room: Jayden Quaintance

Yes, we have written this article before. Jayden Quaintance had been committed to play for Coach John Calipari at Kentucky, but reopened his recruitment and ended up at Arizona State. Now, almost exactly one year after de-committing from Kentucky, Quaintance is a Wildcat once again. The 6’9″ 225 pound forward averaged 9.4 points, 7.9 rebonds, and 2.6 blocks per game as a 17-year freshman at Arizona State. Quaintance will be coming off of ACL surgery and could miss the beginning of the season. However, whenever he does return to the floor, he will immediately become the most talented player Coach Pope has had in Lexington. With legitimate National Defensive Player of the Year and Top 5 NBA Draft pick upside, Quaintance is the “big fish” type of recruit Big Blue Nation has been waiting for Coach Pope to land.

Quaintance would likely be a first round NBA Draft pick whether he plays as a sophomore or not. However, he could shoot up into the Top 5-10 picks with a good season at Kentucky. That should be enough motivation for him to return from knee surgery as soon as possible. As the Wildcats continue to get bigger, more physical, and more athletic, this latest addition checked each of those boxes at the highest of levels. What he was able to do at such a young age in the Big 12 was incredible. Quaintance posted the 19th highest block rate in the country, per KenPom, and was among the best rebounders in college basketball. Those are tools that will be very much welcomed at Kentucky. His elite defensive ability establishes a very high floor, but Quaintance’s raw potential on the offensive end creates a nearly limitless ceiling.

As always, we’ve been hard at work in the KSR Film Room breaking down Kentucky’s latest addition. Quaintance brings immediate rim protection, rebounding, and physicality that the Wildcats were lacking in 2024-2025. Obviously, getting him back on the floor is step number one, but once he recovers from ACL surgery he can be one of the most dominant interior presences in all of college basketball. It is clear that Coach Pope wants to get bigger, stronger, and more athletic going into next season. Landing a guy like Quaintance certainly moves you further down that path. He has shown flashes of being able to be that top of the floor offensive initiator for the ‘Cats as well. Let’s dive on in and take a closer look at Jayden Quaintance.

Potential Skill Level Unlocks an Unlimited Ceiling

We all know what Jayden Quaintance is on the defensive end of the floor. He doesn’t need to change anything to be considered one of the best interior defenders in the country. However, in order to become one of the best all-around players in the country he will need to take some strides offensively. The good news is that we have seen the flashes already.

There are still nearly three whole months until Quaintance turns 18 years old. It is very realistic to assume that those flashes we saw as a 17-year old freshman in the Big 12 will come more regularly in the future. Quaintance is comfortable with the ball in his hands. That alone makes him a good fit for what Kentucky wants to do offensively. When you mix in some of the unteachable instincts and athletic traits you can start to get really excited about what he can become in Coach Pope’s system.

This clip is perfectly translatable to Quaintance in a Kentucky uniform. Arizona State lifted Quaintance to the top of the key and ran Zoom Action. The big man was able to read the back cut and deliver a perfectly on time pass to his teammate for a layup.

These are the type of plays that get you really excited about his upside. You can’t really teach this level of playmaking. Jayden Quaintance simply has some special instincts. He is dribbling to the left, recognizes the double team, and hits his teammate on a cut to the front of the rim. Having a 5-man who can make that sort of pass from a live dribble is a luxury.

There were plenty of times this past season where Big Blue Nation was frustrated with Amari Williams’ unwillingness to dunk the basketball. That will not be a concern with Jayden Quaintance. The young big man will try to dunk everything. Here you see him complete a drive from the perimeter with a poster-worthy dunk. Again, these are the type of plays that you cannot teach.

Even though he has some growth to do offensively, Quaintance is a guy you can run plays for on that end of the floor. His ability to drive the ball in either direction makes him a very difficult matchup for opposing 5-men. The big power hop to two feet after a few dribbles to his left is very impressive in this clip as well. If Quaintance starts to make plays like this more consistently he will be an All-American next season.

Interior Scoring

We just showcased some of the offensive skill level that could unlock a special ceiling for Jayden Quaintance. However, he is still going to be at his best as an interior scorer. Whether he is scoring in the post, on the roll, on the rim run, or off of an offensive rebound putback Quaintance will get most of his work done in the paint. That is the nature of being one of the most physical forwards in the country. The addition of Quaintance should give Coach Pope a legitimate back to the basket scoring threat to run offense for inside.

Quaintance has some real skill, but this is still where he is at his best. Using his athletic and physical tools allows him to outplay most defenders. Here you see him beat his man down the floor on the rim run. Then, when he receives the pass, he is able to quickly elevate and finish. Being able to consistently finish on the rim run is a very underrated and under appreciated skill. Quaintance and Brandon Garrison will give Kentucky arguably two of the best rim-runners in the country.

Kentucky left a lot to be desired on the offensive glass this past season. Per KenPom, the ‘Cats finished 229th with an offensive rebounding percentage of 28.2%. However, with Jayden Quaintance in the fold, that will change. Individually, Quaintance posted an 11.8% offensive rebounding percentage, which, for context, was 1.5% higher than Amari Williams. Even with a BYU player wrapping him up around the waist, Quaintance was able to shake loose and finish the putback.

Amari Williams got infinitely better as the season went along, but he still wasn’t really a guy that Kentucky would throw inside to with the intent to score. Jayden Quaintance will give the ‘Cats a legitimate back to the basket scoring threat. In this clip he displays some real patience when making his move. The shot faking and pivoting around brought him back closer to the rim to finish. Quaintance will likely develop into a real low post threat as a sophomore.

Dominant Defensive Presence

Jayden Quaintance was one of the best defensive players in the country the moment he took the floor at Arizona State. Even at just 17 years old, the 6’9″ big man was one of college basketball’s best rebounders and rim protectors. His mixture of length, strength, and athleticism allows him to make some truly special plays. However, it is his willingness to be physical that really takes his defensive upside to another level. Quaintance could legitimately be the National Defensive Player of the Year next season if he is healthy. Some of the clips of him defensively are genuinely breathtaking to watch.

Admittedly, Jayden Quaintance gets beat a couple of times defensively in this clip. However, it also serves as the perfect example of what his athleticism can cover up. It isn’t a great closeout, and he lets his man spin back towards the middle of the floor, but Quaintance is still there for an incredible block at the front of the rim. The combination of foot speed, athleticism, and length that it takes to block this shot is incredible.

Baylor’s VJ Edgecomb was one of the best, most explosive freshmen in the country last season. However, even he couldn’t beat Quaintance to the rim from a perimeter isolation situation. Quaintance was able to move his feet and stay in front of Edgecomb on the drive. Then, he got up in a hurry to swat the layup attempt away. It will not be easy for opponents to score at the rim against Kentucky when Quaintance is in the game.

In a perfect world, Quaintance’s feet would be a bit quieter in this clip. However, it is hard to question the activity level. Then, once again, he stays with the drive from the perimeter and blocks the shot at the rim. He will be very switchable defensively without giving up anything in terms of rim protection and rebounding.

We’ve seen Quaintance block a bunch of guards’ shots at the rim. However, he can also bang around in the post and protect the rim there as well. Watch how he plays with his hands up this entire possession. As the offensive player moves towards the midline Quaintance raises his left hand. Then, on the step through, Quaintance gets vertical with his right hand to block the shot. He will be the anchor of a Kentucky defense that will look much different in 2025-2026.

Jayden Quaintance Evaluation

There is no college basketball player with more defensive upside than Jayden Quaintance. His floor is set incredibly high by being one of the best rebounders and rim protectors in the game. Then, you can start to dream about the upside with the flashes he shows offensively. Quaintance is comfortable handling and disturbing the ball on the perimeter and will be a legitimate back to the basket threat. However, at just 17 years old still, it is fair to assume there is another (or multiple) jump(s) left in the tank. The rare combination of size, strength, physicality, and athleticism is what made Quaintance a can’t miss prospect out of high school and that hasn’t changed, even after ACL surgery, now coming into Kentucky. If healthy, Quaintance could be the National Defensive Player of the Year and a Top 5 NBA Draft pick.

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