A new video of Jayden Quaintance, Kentucky’s incoming transfer forward, has caught the attention of Big Blue Nation — and for good reason.
The clip shows Quaintance recreating the iconic image of Anthony Davis from 2012, where the future No. 1 NBA Draft pick stretched his arms across a row of basketballs, revealing his incredible 8-foot wingspan. Now, it looks like Quaintance may boast similar measurements.
Though only a freshman this past season at Arizona State, Quaintance made a defensive impact reminiscent of Davis. The 6-foot-9, 225-pound forward averaged 2.6 blocks per game — a total of 63 blocks in just 24 games — while also contributing 9.4 points, 7.9 rebounds, 1.5 assists, and 1.1 steals on 60% shooting from the field. His raw tools and defensive instincts helped him become one of the most promising young bigs in the country.
Now back at Kentucky after initially decommitting following John Calipari’s departure, Quaintance joins Mark Pope with high expectations. And the comparisons to Davis — arguably the best one-and-done player in UK history — only fuel the excitement.
In his legendary 2011–12 freshman season, Davis averaged 4.7 blocks per game and recorded a Kentucky-record 186 blocks over 40 games. He led the Wildcats to a national championship and earned a laundry list of honors, including NCAA Tournament Most Outstanding Player, AP Player of the Year, Wooden Award, Naismith Award, and SEC Player of the Year.
While no one’s crowning Quaintance just yet, his jaw-dropping wingspan has certainly sparked hope in Lexington. If he can build on the flashes he showed as a freshman and channel even a fraction of the dominance Anthony Davis displayed in his lone college season, Kentucky may have landed its next defensive anchor — and possibly a key piece in the pursuit of another national championship banner.
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