Everyone in Big Blue Nation is asking the same uncomfortable question.
When Otega Oweh announced he was returning for his senior year, Kentucky fans celebrated like they’d won an early tournament game. The SEC Preseason Player of the Year — the driving force behind so much of last season’s success — was back to lead Mark Pope’s second group. It felt like a built-in Final Four boost.
Six games later, that confidence feels… fragile. And the reason nobody wants to say out loud is becoming hard to ignore:
Is Otega Oweh trying to win games, or is he trying not to hurt his draft stock?
A Passive Version of a Former Powerhouse
Look at the numbers — they say everything.
Last year’s Oweh was a relentless downhill tank, a battering ram who welcomed contact and carved up defenses at the rim. This year’s version looks hesitant, cautious, and too focused on the jumper.
The signs are all there:
Free Throws: 2.8 attempts per game — down from 5.3.
Three-Point Attempts: 3.3 per game at 30% — up from 2.1 at 35%.
Turnovers: Nearly one more per game.
Shot profile: Way fewer drives, way more settling.
This isn’t the Oweh who dominated last season. This is a player avoiding the paint — the very area that made him great.
That Preseason Quote Is Aging Poorly
Before the season, Oweh said something that stuck with fans:
> “Everything that I have to do to get to the next level won’t hurt the team at all. It’ll just make the team better.”
Right now, that statement doesn’t hold up.
He’s trying to showcase “guard skills” — step-back threes, perimeter play, finesse moves — instead of doing what he’s elite at: attacking the rim, absorbing contact, and finishing through traffic.
And when your senior leader admits multiple times that he needs to “give 100 percent effort,” it raises questions. Leaders shouldn’t need reminders to play hard.
Otega Can Still Get What He Wants — If He Plays Like Himself
Everyone wants to see Oweh make the NBA. Everyone wants him to win.
But the best way to boost his draft stock isn’t to float around the arc.
It’s to dominate the way he dominated last year.
It’s to be the punisher inside, not a hesitant jump-shooter.
It’s to play winning basketball, not showcase basketball.
Because if he doesn’t flip that switch soon, the consequences could be bigger than fans realize.
He could hurt Kentucky’s ceiling.
He could hurt his draft stock.
He could even lose his starting spot.
Kentucky doesn’t need “NBA Audition Otega.”
Kentucky needs Bully Ball Otega — before both the Wildcats’ title hopes and his own future start slipping away.
