Terrence Jones doesn’t need the fancy introduction at the beginning of the game with the pyrotechnics that accompany the announcement of a starter’s name.

All that pregame pizzazz is not that important to the Wooden Award watch list candidate, Jones, who in less than a week has become the best sixth man in the Southeastern Conference. In fact, he might be the best player to come off the pine in the NCAA.

“It’s only the first five minutes,” Jones said. “I was always taught it was the last five minutes that matter most. It’s who the coach trusts most that he puts in the last five minutes with the game on the line.”

The last five minutes of the Cats’ first two home games in the SEC have some similarities: they both involved a team from the SEC West, against teams nicknamed the Tigers and they didn’t matter because each game was a blowout and neither game was on the line.

The 6-foot-8 freshman forward came off the bench Tuesday night against Auburn due to illness. However, Jones wasn’t slowed by his role as sixth man, or his health, on his way to scoring 35 points, a UK freshman record. In fact, it was the second time the UK freshman scoring record was broken—freshman guard Doron Lamb did it with 32 points against Winthrop on Dec. 23—by a player coming off the bench.

“Since I played so well (UK head coach John Calipari) said ‘I might as well keep it like that,’” said Jones, who found out that he’d be coming off the bench on Wednesday, regardless of whether he was feeling healthier.

Jones saw his first action coming off the bench on Saturday in the 82-44 win versus Louisiana State at roughly the 16-minute mark of the first half with UK already leading 12-2. A lead that ballooned to 48-19 by halftime.

Although Jones didn’t rewrite the record books again, he did put together a solid performance (17 points and seven rebounds in 23 minutes) on a day when an inside presence wasn’t a necessity because of UK’s strong shooting, particularly from beyond the arc (UK shot 50 percent on its 3-point attempts).

Still, the question becomes whether Jones’ current role lasts for the extended future. At the beginning of the season, it would seem unlikely that this scenario would’ve ever presented itself, as Jones is perhaps the best all-around player on the Cats’ roster.

“I don’t think it really matters if Terrence or Doron comes off the bench…I think both kids accept (the role),” UK assistant head coach John Robic said.

Calipari has, at times, been frustrated with Jones, who has been prone to slow starts and silly errors to open games and found himself on the bench in several games within a matter of minutes anyway. So as long as Jones continues to produce at a high level as the sixth man, why fix what isn’t broken?

“It’s no difference (between starter and sixth man) really, I don’t mind it, because I’m still getting the same minutes,” said Lamb, who has filled the role of first man off the bench for most of the season.

Truth is, starting doesn’t matter as much when the team is firing on all cylinders. Of course, firing on all cylinders is easy against the likes of the bottom feeders of the SEC, so whether Jones’ opinion changes on his new role changes will probably be answered when the first five minutes of a game might be as important as the last five minutes of a game when a win isn’t a guarantee after 20 minutes of basketball.

“Ever since the Georgia loss we’ve been more committed to the team and everybody is just going hard for each other in practice,” Jones said. “With us playing like we’re playing, I really don’t care (if I come off the bench).”