How Mark Pope’s first NBA players at Kentucky performed in their rookie seasons
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Koby Brea averaged 3.8 points in 7.0 minutes across 12 NBA games as a rookie.
- Amari Williams played 22 games for Boston, averaging 1.4 points and 1.8 rebounds.
- Ansley Almonor averaged 14.2 points and helped Salon Vilpas win the Korisliiga title.
When Mark Pope arrived in Lexington two years ago, he had nine seasons of experience as a college basketball head coach and zero NBA draft picks on his résumé.
After one season at Kentucky, he had two players hear their names called on draft night.
Koby Brea became the first NBA pick of the Pope era, going No. 41 overall last year after one season with the Cats. A little while later, Amari Williams was selected with the No. 46 pick, becoming Pope’s second NBA draft selection as a college head coach.
That number is expected to double this year, with Jayden Quaintance fulfilling his NBA dreams and Otega Oweh projected to join him in the 2026 NBA draft, which wraps up with the second round at 8 p.m. ET Wednesday on ESPN.
As those players prepare for their NBA futures, here’s a look at what Brea, Williams and the rest of the seniors from Pope’s first season at Kentucky did during their rookie years in the pros.
Koby Brea
Regarded as the best 3-point shooter in college basketball but absent from NBA draft boards when he came to Kentucky two years ago, Brea expanded his game during his one season as a Wildcat and found a place in the Phoenix Suns organization as a result.
Brea signed a two-way contract with the Suns last summer, made his NBA debut Nov. 1 and ultimately appeared in 12 games at the NBA level. He averaged 3.8 points in 7.0 minutes per game and shot 13 for 30 (43.3%) from 3-point range as a rookie.
Most of Brea’s appearances came late in the season, and he didn’t play double-digit minutes in a game until the very end, logging 14 minutes in the Suns’ penultimate game and 28 in the season finale. Brea shot 6 for 9 from deep and scored 20 points in that final game, besting his previous scoring high of six points.
He spent most of his rookie year in the G League, where he appeared in 34 games, averaging 16.4 points in 34.2 minutes while shooting 34.9% from beyond the arc.
The Suns tendered a qualifying offer to Brea last week, and he has until June 30 to agree to that deal, which would be another one-year, two-way contract, or negotiate with other teams. Phoenix would be allowed to match whatever offers he receives in free agency.
Amari Williams
Williams was also not projected as an NBA pick when he arrived at Kentucky following four seasons spent at Drexel, but his versatile play from the 5 position landed him a spot in the draft.
The 6-foot-11 center from England made his debut for the Boston Celtics in their second game of the season and bounced back and forth between the NBA and G League over the course of his rookie year.
Williams ultimately played in 22 games for the Celtics last season, averaging 1.4 points and 1.8 rebounds in 6.6 minutes. He tallied season highs of nine points and seven rebounds in nearly 26 minutes in a victory over Portland in January, a game sandwiched between the only two NBA starts of his rookie season.
The former Wildcat also appeared in one playoff game, scoring a point in 93 seconds off the bench in Boston’s Game 5 loss to Philadelphia in the first round. Williams was a force in the G League, averaging 17.9 points, 10.9 rebounds, 4.8 assists and 1.8 blocks over 18 appearances during the regular season.
In February, the Celtics announced that they had signed Williams to a two-year contract worth $2.7 million. “I think Amari’s got a real chance to be a player,” team president Brad Stevens said at the time, noting the Celtics were pleased with his development over the course of his rookie year. “... It’s a bet on the person and the work ethic he has.”
Lamont Butler
Lamont Butler was viewed as a potential NBA player coming out of Kentucky, thanks in large part to his defensive excellence, but he never got a chance to show what he could do at the pro level during the 2025-26 season.
The starting point guard on Pope’s first UK team went undrafted last year but signed a contract with the Atlanta Hawks on Oct. 13. That same day, Butler tallied 18 points, six rebounds, five assists and three steals in a preseason game against the Miami Heat, who played several of their regular rotation players in that contest.
Butler was expected to start the 2025-26 season with the Hawks’ G League affiliate, but he suffered a torn ACL and torn meniscus in late October, ending his rookie year before it could get started.
Butler, who turned 24 years old earlier this month, has resumed basketball activities but is still going through the rehab process with his knee, and his status for the 2026-27 season has not been finalized.
Andrew Carr
Andrew Carr was also undrafted after spending one season at Kentucky, but he joined the Portland Trail Blazers for the NBA Summer League last year and later agreed to a contract with the franchise.
Carr never played for the Blazers during the 2025-26 season, but he did make a total of 47 appearances with Portland’s G League affiliate over the Tip-Off Tournament and regular season, averaging 10.8 points and 6.7 rebounds while shooting 36.0% from 3-point range on 3.8 attempts per game.
Carr, who was engaged on UK’s trip to New York during the 2024-25 season, got married earlier this month. He’ll be a basketball free agent for the 2026-27 season.
Jaxson Robinson
Pope’s star player during his final season as BYU’s head coach, Jaxson Robinson transferred to Kentucky two years ago with NBA draft buzz but was not selected in 2025 after missing the end of the college season due to a wrist injury that kept him sidelined for the predraft process.
Robinson ultimately agreed to a contract with the Cleveland Cavaliers, and though he never made an appearance in an NBA game last season, he did average 9.0 points in 19.0 minutes while shooting 35.9% on 3-pointers in 43 appearances with the team’s G League affiliate.
Robinson, who returned to Lexington as a spectator for Big Blue Madness last October, will also be a free agent heading into next season.
Ansley Almonor
Ansley Almonor actually made his professional debut in Lexington, joining the UK-affiliated La Familia roster for last year’s TBT games.
After that, Almonor signed with Salon Vilpas, a team in Finland’s top basketball league. He averaged 14.2 points and 6.3 rebounds per game in his first season as a pro, shooting 43.2% from 3-point range.
His 2025-26 season ended with a championship. Almonor helped Salon Vilpas win its second Korisliiga title this past season, scoring eight points in Game 7 of the league finals.
