Kentucky basketball has a spacing problem — and ironically, it centers around one of the Wildcats’ most productive players.
Mo Dioubate has been a force since transferring from Alabama. He brings toughness, energy, physicality, and the kind of defensive edge this roster desperately needs. The numbers back it up:
Mo Dioubate 2025 Season Stats
Points: 11.6
Rebounds: 5.8
FG%: 62.2%
He’s efficient, he finishes inside, and he plays harder than almost anyone on the floor.
But there’s one issue Kentucky can’t hide: Dioubate is 1-for-11 from three, and opponents are openly daring him to shoot.
Why Dioubate’s Position Matters
Mark Pope’s offense is built on pace, space, and clean driving lanes. But when your power forward isn’t a shooting threat, defenses collapse inward, choking the offense and limiting opportunities for guys like Otega Oweh and Jasper Johnson.
It forces Pope into a real dilemma:
How do you keep one of your best players on the floor without sacrificing spacing?
Pope’s Small-Ball Solution
Pope may have found the answer — and it involves a surprising positional change.
> “I do think there’s a space for Mo at the five situationally,” Pope said. “Mo is 6-5. He plays a lot bigger than that… there will be moments he’s so physical, we can do it.”
Sliding Dioubate to the 5 instantly changes the geometry of the offense:
He becomes the rim runner instead of the non-shooting 4
He protects the rim
And Kentucky can surround him with four shooters
Suddenly, the floor is spaced. The lanes are open. And the offense breathes again.
Yes, it makes Kentucky “really small,” as Pope admitted — but it also might be the most versatile lineup Kentucky has.
The Rise of “Small-Ball Mo”
Expect to see this look more often against teams like North Carolina and Gonzaga, where mobility and shooting matter more than size alone.
Dioubate’s energy demands minutes.
Pope knows it.
And this adjustment might be the key to unlocking Kentucky’s best version of itself.
