What’s the latest injury news for Jaxson Robinson? UK coach Mark Pope gives an update
In the immediate aftermath of Kentucky basketball’s rivalry win over Tennessee on Tuesday night, UK coach Mark Pope didn’t have much to offer regarding the injury status of Jaxson Robinson.
And what Pope did say about Robinson wasn’t optimistic about the guard’s right wrist injury.
“I’m not sure we’re going to get him back anytime soon,” Pope said Tuesday about Robinson, following UK’s 75-64 home win over Tennessee. “But I’m hoping, I’m praying, that we get him back sooner.”
Robinson — a fifth-year guard who previously played two seasons for Pope at BYU — suffered a right wrist injury during Kentucky’s practice last Friday. Following the injury, X-ray imaging done on Robinson’s right wrist came back clean for UK. Robinson played through the injury in Saturday’s home win over South Carolina, but he was ruled out for UK’s game against Tennessee when the SEC injury report was released for the game Monday night.
As such, Robinson watched Tuesday’s UK victory while dressed in a gray sweatsuit and wearing a significant brace on his right wrist.
What’s the latest update on Robinson’s injury outlook as UK prepares to play at Texas on Saturday night?
During his weekly press conference Thursday afternoon, Pope said Robinson got a third medical opinion on Wednesday regarding the injury.
“He’s meeting with the best people in the world... We’re kind of taking in information, trying to figure out (the) course of action, decisions to be made,” Pope said.
Pope was also asked if Robinson’s injury was made worse by playing in last Saturday’s home win over South Carolina.
“It was just like, ‘There’s no way I’m not playing in this game,’” Pope said. “I think under the circumstances he was just there. It was a quick enough turnaround from when he originally felt the injury to be like, ‘I can go gut this out.’ So I think that was just him being like, ‘There’s no way I’m missing (the game).’’’
Robinson is averaging 13.3 points, 3.7 rebounds and 1.7 assists per game this season for UK. Robinson is Kentucky’s second-leading scorer and the team’s leader in minutes played (28.7 per game).
Prior to Tuesday’s game against Tennessee, Robinson had started all 23 contests this season for UK. Robinson is also shooting a career-best 38.1% from 3-point range this season, and has made multiple 3-pointers in each of his last eight games played.
Mark Pope gives UK basketball injury update on Lamont Butler
Of course, Robinson isn’t the only Kentucky basketball guard who is currently injured. Fellow fifth-year guards Lamont Butler and Kerr Kriisa are also hurt, which means Pope’s team finished that Tennessee game while down to its fourth option at point guard (center Amari Williams).
Kriisa’s absence is well documented. The former Arizona and West Virginia guard suffered a foot injury Dec. 7 during UK’s overtime win over Gonzaga in Seattle. That injury required surgery, and Kriisa hasn’t played for UK since.
Butler has battled several injuries this season. He missed two games in December with an ankle injury and, most recently, was sidelined for three straight contests with a left shoulder injury that was first sustained during the Jan. 14 home win over Texas A&M.
Butler made his big return for Kentucky on Saturday against South Carolina, and remained healthy enough to start for the Wildcats on Tuesday against the Volunteers. But with 8:40 to go in the game, Butler reinjured his left shoulder and didn’t return to the contest.
Postgame, Pope described the recurrence of Butler’s left shoulder injury as “exactly what we didn’t want to do.”
During his weekly press conference Thursday, Pope also provided a fresh update on Butler.
Pope said that Butler’s injury “was not great” when UK assessed Butler on Wednesday following the Tennessee game.
“We’re still kind of going day by day. We’re trying some different treatments,” Pope said. “We’re going to piece it together.”
Pope described the injury situations facing both Butler and Robinson as “pretty complicated situations.”
“Timing wise and recovery wise, and there’s also a little bit of a guessing part, in terms of just the best medical treatment at the best time,” Pope said. “They’re both pretty serious injuries. The guys are desperate to play and they’re desperate to get healthy, short-term and long-term, and kind of balancing all those out with the calendar, not just for the season but for the summer and for next year. Trying to fit all those pieces together, and see day by day what kind of returns they get from new medical treatments.”
Pope acknowledged that these injury updates concerning Butler and Robinson were both vague.
“I think we could, potentially, find some clarity on both those guys in the next couple of weeks. We’ll see,” Pope added.
Pope also said it’s “devastating” to see these significant injuries occur to a pair of fifth-year players in Butler and Robinson, who are in their final seasons of college basketball.
“I’m so sad for them. I’m sad for me. I’m sad for our team. But I’m sad for the guys,” Pope said. “You’re right here. You’re here, at Kentucky, we’re in it. You’ve done amazing things this season. And we have so much on the table right now that we can chase this year, and that you can be a part of... It’s what you’ve worked your whole life to have the chance to do this, and then something a little bit beyond your control starts to interfere. It’s hard. These experiences, whether it lasts for one game or whether it lasts for two months or a year, recovering from an injury is also a way that we get to be challenged to our core and grow and figure things out.”
Saturday
No. 15 Kentucky at Texas
When: 8 p.m.
TV: ESPN
Radio: WLAP-AM 630, WBUL-FM 98.1
Records: Kentucky 17-7 (6-5), Texas 15-10 (4-8)
Series: Kentucky leads 2-0
Last meeting: Kentucky won 63-51 on Dec. 5, 2014, in Lexington.
This story was originally published February 13, 2025 at 2:03 PM.
