Tell me about Jaland Lowe...

[preston-lemasterpiece]

UK fan here coming in peace. I confess I'm not very familiar with Pitt in recent years. I remember Dejuan Blair, he was cool, the man with no ACL's.

Anyway, Jaland Lowe. Obviously we picked him up in the transfer portal and Pope seems super high on him. His stats tell a different story but I know he was a very high usage player. I'm skeptical bc we had Lamont Butler last year and those are big shoes to fill.

You guys know his game better than anyone. So...what are his pros? Cons? Were you sad to see him go? Was he a victim of bad coaching?

Any and all opinions are appreciated. Thanks!

 

[PittPanther44]

He was elite at two things. Driving to his left and FT shooting. I think people started expecting his drive which made it a little less effective and forced him to do other things.

But a good player overall. The problem this past year was that he was put in a position to need to be the star. And so I think his efficiency suffered because of it. Not super strong and not a great % 3 point shooter. But if he doesn’t force stuff he isn’t as good at, I think he can be a really good contributor. Probably will get that opportunity now.

 

[FireballZ]

He looked way better as a true freshman in 2023-24 playing with an nba lotto pick and the guy near the top of the G League's three pointers made list. He played hero ball last year and wasn't good enough to do it. Questionable basketball IQ in pressure, crucial situations.

I think he'll do well at UK with better teammates and coaches. Seems like a solid, likeable kid.

 

[JD1976]

The comments from the previous two posters were fair and accurate. For whatever reason, this past season, Pitt’s offensive sets and personnel caused him to over dribble and make some poor decisions. Opposing teams took to pressuring him in the back court and it completely took him off his game. He was definitely better as a freshman when Bub Carrington was his backcourt mate and Pitt had an elite 3 point shooter in Blake Hinson to ease his burden.

We all recognize that he will probably improve significantly at UK under better coaching and with better players surrounding him. The nice thing about Lowe is that he is elite at getting to the rim and finishing and you can trust him with the ball when you are protecting a slim lead.

I also think that the 28% 3-point shooting this year is not indicative of his ability to shoot. He just could not get out of his shooting funk all season and it just snowballed on him.

There’s not too much ill-will toward Lowe from the Pitt fan base. I think most of us realize that he wasn’t really put in a good position to succeed this past year. Seems like a good, positive kid too.

 

[FireballZ]

The comments from the previous two posters were fair and accurate. For whatever reason, this past season, Pitt’s offensive sets and personnel caused him to over dribble and make some poor decisions. Opposing teams took to pressuring him in the back court and it completely took him off his game. He was definitely better as a freshman when Bub Carrington was his backcourt mate and Pitt had an elite 3 point shooter in Blake Hinson to ease his burden.

We all recognize that he will probably improve significantly at UK under better coaching and with better players surrounding him. The nice thing about Lowe is that he is elite at getting to the rim and finishing and you can trust him with the ball when you are protecting a slim lead.

I also think that the 28% 3-point shooting this year is not indicative of his ability to shoot. He just could not get out of his shooting funk all season and it just snowballed on him.

There’s not too much ill-will toward Lowe from the Pitt fan base. I think most of us realize that he wasn’t really put in a good position to succeed this past year. Seems like a good, positive kid too.

Good assessment.

I got on Lowe a lot last year, partially out of frustration surrounding our collapse. It was definitely one of the worst shooting performances that I've ever seen from a Pitt player who was putting up a high volume, but I agree with you that he almost tried to shoot his way out of the slump, but it just never came. You wonder if one or two of those late shot clock / late game 3s actually go in, what it would have done for his confidence? He took so many critical, often forced shots for us in close games and just couldn't make anything.

I wish him well, but definitely wish he had taken his buddy Corhen with him if he was going to leave us.

 

[joeydavid]

I like Jaland when he wasn't playing "hero-ball". Without going back to count, he probably personally lost 5-6 games with his selfish play. More than anything, he needs to mature on the court, shoot 3s better and have the desire to play defense.

 

[Pittparade]

He will likely be better or better off with a more talented surrounding cast ala the 23/24 panther team.

His shooting this past season was disappointing. He also does not draw propitious reviews for his defense.

 

[Islanderpanther]

The kid will benefit from a rewind. He has quite a bit of talent but he’s not as good as he thinks he is and he needs a coach that is honest with him about his limitations so that he plays “ within himself”. He’s not a great shooter, can penetrate but tends to over do it and dominate the ball too much so that so long as he recognizes that he should be more of a facilitator and not the team’s principal scoring threat he should be ok. Not real strong or physical which hurts his defensive play. Looking forward to seeing how he does in the SEC.

 

[pittchagg]

He’s a really talented player and a gifted scorer, especially when he’s attacking the basket with his left hand. He shows the ability to read the game at a high level, especially off of ball screens, and be a really good distributor. He’s a good catch and shoot guy from the perimeter, but struggled shooting off the dribble this year.

I don’t think our staff put him in the best position to be successful this year, largely because the entire premise of last season was “Jaland Lowe will be ‘The Guy’ and will be one of the best individual players in the ACC.” That was the bet they made this offseason and the roster was constructed to match that expectation.

Unfortunately, I think that was a little more than Jaland has at this level, and it turns out that his offensive toolbox wasn’t quite enough to be “the guy” that this roster needed him to be. The numbers might not show it, but he really, really struggled through most of the ACC schedule as opponents ramped up the physicality on both ends of the floor and picked on him physically a bit. It felt like the expectation really took a toll on him, and I think the result was that not only that we didn’t get “the guy” on the court, but it felt like the body language and leadership didn’t materialize, either. There was a whole lot of jogging up the court holding his shoulder because he didn’t get a foul call on a layup that he thought he should have gotten. He seems like a really nice kid and it doesn’t seem like he was a problem in the locker room, but more they put him in a position to be the alpha, he never quite grabbed hold of it, and struggled with it as things collapsed down the stretch.

I think if you ask him to be a really good distributor, a third or fourth scoring option, and a guy who’s efficient enough offensively that you can live with the questionable defense, then you’ll have a good player because I think that’s his best role. On the other hand, if you want him to be the alpha point guard who puts the team on his shoulders on both ends of the floor and if he doesn’t figure out a counterpunch to teams targeting him physically, then you might end up with a whole lot of stepback bricked threes and defense that will annoy you more than you’ll find to be productive.

 

[ratking17]

Going to be a great piece for Kentucky. Isn't ready to assume the alpha dog role but with talent around him, he's going to be awesome for you

 

[caleco's]

UK fan here coming in peace. I confess I'm not very familiar with Pitt in recent years. I remember Dejuan Blair, he was cool, the man with no ACL's.

Anyway, Jaland Lowe. Obviously we picked him up in the transfer portal and Pope seems super high on him. His stats tell a different story but I know he was a very high usage player. I'm skeptical bc we had Lamont Butler last year and those are big shoes to fill.

You guys know his game better than anyone. So...what are his pros? Cons? Were you sad to see him go? Was he a victim of bad coaching?

Any and all opinions are appreciated. Thanks!

He is not missed. When he announced alot of the fan base was relieved.

 

[pittguy81]

When he was a Freshman running with future NBA first Rd pick Bib Carrington in the backcourt he was terrific and was projected as a late 1st round pick in a good number of future mock drafts. He struggled being the man and regularly forced things when he was expected to carry the load. Kentucky gets enough talent that I think, he'll excel without the burden of being "The Guy"

Pitt's coaching staff didn't help him out with an offense tailored to his skills, so he spent too much time dribbling around the perimeter and chucking up ill-advised 3's. He's best attacking the basket with his left hand, but Pitt's offense didn't have enough motion and back cuts to free up guys diving to the basket.

 

[Protes]

He is not missed. When he announced alot of the fan base was relieved.

I don't think this is fair to say at all. I would have been glad to have him stay. Assessments made by others above are accurate. Too much was put on his shoulders this year and he wasn't up to the task. He will be better with better players around him. His defense will probably remain his biggest negative going forward. He's just not big and strong enough to handle physical D1 guards.

 

[caleco's]

I don't think this is fair to say at all. I would have been glad to have him stay. Assessments made by others above are accurate. Too much was put on his shoulders this year and he wasn't up to the task. He will be better with better players around him. His defense will probably remain his biggest negative going forward. He's just not big and strong enough to handle physical D1 guards.

I saw and heard alot of joy. It is completely fair to say. He was loathed here by many.

 

[FireballZ]

I saw and heard alot of joy. It is completely fair to say. He was loathed here by many.

Maybe so during that frustrating final two months, including myself, but you'd be a fool to say that we're looking better off without him. I for one thought we'd have freed up a bit more NIL in losing three guards (and Corhen) to go after another guard in the portal with an equally high ceiling as Lowe. Hope it happens.

 

[caleco's]

Maybe so during that frustrating final two months, including myself, but you'd be a fool to say that we're looking better off without him. I for one thought we'd have freed up a bit more NIL in losing three guards (and Corhen) to go after another guard in the portal with an equally high ceiling as Lowe. Hope it happens.

His money will be better spent on another guard. Problem is no one wants to play for this loser coach and staff

 

[9782978]

Jaland who?

 

[Bethlehemjohn]

UK fan here coming in peace. I confess I'm not very familiar with Pitt in recent years. I remember Dejuan Blair, he was cool, the man with no ACL's.

Anyway, Jaland Lowe. Obviously we picked him up in the transfer portal and Pope seems super high on him. His stats tell a different story but I know he was a very high usage player. I'm skeptical bc we had Lamont Butler last year and those are big shoes to fill.

You guys know his game better than anyone. So...what are his pros? Cons? Were you sad to see him go? Was he a victim of bad coaching?

Any and all opinions are appreciated. Thanks!

He is a very nice player, but tried to do too much this past year. His shooting was way off and he turned the ball over too much.

I think he will be much better for UK in a system with a few other scorers. He is a good PG, he is very good in the mid range/floater and in getting to the lane. He’s got great touch.

He has skills, but lacks athleticism. He has a problem staying in front of guys who can get to the rim. But he rebounds pretty well and can force some TO’s.

 

[Bethlehemjohn]

The comments from the previous two posters were fair and accurate. For whatever reason, this past season, Pitt’s offensive sets and personnel caused him to over dribble and make some poor decisions. Opposing teams took to pressuring him in the back court and it completely took him off his game. He was definitely better as a freshman when Bub Carrington was his backcourt mate and Pitt had an elite 3 point shooter in Blake Hinson to ease his burden.

We all recognize that he will probably improve significantly at UK under better coaching and with better players surrounding him. The nice thing about Lowe is that he is elite at getting to the rim and finishing and you can trust him with the ball when you are protecting a slim lead.

I also think that the 28% 3-point shooting this year is not indicative of his ability to shoot. He just could not get out of his shooting funk all season and it just snowballed on him.

There’s not too much ill-will toward Lowe from the Pitt fan base. I think most of us realize that he wasn’t really put in a good position to succeed this past year. Seems like a good, positive kid too.

I think he will shoot the ball well at UK. He has always been a pretty good shooter, but this year he struggled early and could never get hot.

My guess is that he can easily hit 36-38% of this 3’a this year.

 

[MajorMajors]

I was disappointed to see Lowe leave Pitt - especially after we had invested two years in his development. His biggest problem was driving into the trees and leaving himself no options but a desperate, off-balance shot…

With better players around him, Lowe has a chance to be outstanding as a junior, IMHO…

 

[FireballZ]

I think he will shoot the ball well at UK. He has always been a pretty good shooter, but this year he struggled early and could never get hot.

My guess is that he can easily hit 36-38% of this 3’a this year.

"Always", as in 50% of his career? He certainly looked like a much better shooter when he had Bub and Blake to open up space for him, but he clanked lots of wide open looks last season.

 

[9782978]

Great kid. Sixth or seventh man at a place like UK. Remember that Calipari is gone. Hope for Jaland’s sake that the new coaching staff can up his game more than our coaches did. Losing him stung and was bad optics. Best wishes to him!

 

[Tvax1]

many way too generous to Jaland here

he will be mauled in the SEC every game and defensively if he stops a blow by at any point it will be his first

obviously he can shoot FT's and should shoot better numbers from 3 but only because he can't shoot much worse

if you expect him to be a team leader, he will try but he is unlikely going to be an upgrade for you at KY unless the coaching changes everything.....and that chance is at least a possibility I guess considering Capel

 

[Sean Miller Fan]

Lowe had a really good freshman year for being the 4th option on what ended up being a Top 15ish team that was royally screwed by the committee because we lost to Missouri in November before they lost Caleb Grill for the season a week later.

Most Pitt fans, including myself thought Lowe was ready to be THE GUY. Unfortunately, he had a really bad year. PPG can be very deceiving as he was the least efficient guard in the country based on players who took at least as many shots as he did. 37.6% FG% and 26.6% 3 point percentage is as bad as it gets. If he does that at Kentucky, he's unplayable. That is B-A-D, bad. And turnovers were a problem at 3 per game. Assist to TO of 1.83:1 wasnt good either. All and all, just a really bad season. But, I still think the kid has a ton of potential. So, in my mind, he is a good player who just had a bad season, not a bad player. Most of the issues stem from the fact that Capel doesn’t run much of an offense and Lowe just drove the lane and missed. He has really good handle and is quick enough to get by his man but wasn't efficient in finishing or creating open looks.

I think that with the right coaching and playing with better players, that he can be really good at Kentucky but time will tell. I would have thought his God-awful shooting numbers would have kept his price down but apparently not.

 

[Sean Miller Fan]

he will be mauled in the SEC every game and defensively if he stops a blow by at any point it will be his first

This is a good point. He was beyond terrible, defensively. That said, given all his warts, I would have preferred he stayed because I think his ceiling is very high.

 

[ChiefJusticeMarshall]

UK fan here coming in peace. I confess I'm not very familiar with Pitt in recent years. I remember Dejuan Blair, he was cool, the man with no ACL's.

Anyway, Jaland Lowe. Obviously we picked him up in the transfer portal and Pope seems super high on him. His stats tell a different story but I know he was a very high usage player. I'm skeptical bc we had Lamont Butler last year and those are big shoes to fill.

You guys know his game better than anyone. So...what are his pros? Cons? Were you sad to see him go? Was he a victim of bad coaching?

Any and all opinions are appreciated. Thanks!

He should do well at UK. He was really good last year down the stretch when we had two NBA caliber players in Carrington and Hinson to create space and offer opportunities to get someone the ball who could score. He wasn't as successful when he had to be "the man" down the stretch this year. But with the talent at UK, he should do well.

 

[Gunga_Galunga]

A lot of assumptions in this thread. Lowe was one of the most selfish players I can remember, maybe only outdone by Leggett who was never passing to anyone once he decided he was taking it to the hoop.

He played far too many minutes here. He's not strong enough to hold up playing that much. His defense got worse and worse as the game wore on, and contributed to pure laziness at times on the defensive end.

Good ball handler, very good FT shooter, and good at getting to the hoop (mostly to his left) and good finisher. Poor decision maker, poor defender, and not super athletic or strong. Questionable 3P shooter who's probably better than what he showed last year. Whenever he shared the ball willingly, Pitt was a better team. When he got into I need mine mode, they were awful.

 

[Gunga_Galunga]

He should do well at UK. He was really good last year down the stretch when we had two NBA caliber players in Carrington and Hinson to create space and offer opportunities to get someone the ball who could score. He wasn't as successful when he had to be "the man" down the stretch this year. But with the talent at UK, he should do well.

I don't buy the "when he had to be the man" comments throughout this thread. I think it's more "when he decided he was going to be the man" more than the other way around.

There were other guys capable of scoring on last years team. Not to the level of Bub or Blake, but Leggett, Corhen and Austin were capable scorers if they had a PG interested in passing them the ball.

 

[Islanderpanther]

He should do well at UK. He was really good last year down the stretch when we had two NBA caliber players in Carrington and Hinson to create space and offer opportunities to get someone the ball who could score. He wasn't as successful when he had to be "the man" down the stretch this year. But with the talent at UK, he should do well.

The question, however, is whether he “ had” to be the man or whether he “ insisted”on being the man. I think the truth lies somewhere in between. I believe he saw himself as a guy who would jump to the pros at the end of this year if he could prove he was the man which drove him to play some pretty selfish hoops for the better part of the year in the face of evidence that his and Leggett’s dominance of the ball was hindering the team’s offensive play.