Well bucketeers we're 6 days away from the first game of the season. Crazy to think after what has transpired the past 8 months that games are on the horizon. I have a lot of mixed feelings about this years squad and the level of play we'll see from the Jayhawks. Bill Self is presented with one of his most difficult transitions from year to year he's had as a coach. The lack of an off-season, some recruiting pains, replacing your Top 2 scorers and several other factors have made this upcoming season a challenge.
I figured I'd start some discussion on what everyone thinks about this years team, how good can they be? Who's going to step up and become leaders and our top scorers?
The Schedule looks extremely difficult this year. 6 of KU's first 10 games are against ranked opponents, including 3 of the first five against teams ranked in the Top 11. Preseason rankings are tough to gage but the fact remains KU is playing good teams. Game 1 against Gonzaga presents a big challenge for KU. I happen to think both teams are similar, replacing a lot of scoring, experience from arguably the two best teams in the Nation last year. The matchup should be fun and hopefully the Hawks will prevail.
I'll start with what I think will be the starting 5 to start the season. The 4-1 look will be KU's base offense and due to the roster construction a 5 guard look will likely be something we see during the year, maybe even every game. Going to be interesting to see the lineup combinations used this season.
PG- Garrett. DPOY of year from last season steps into Dotson's role as a leader, facilitator and maybe even an improved scorer in his 4th year in the program. The word on Marcus was he spent a majority of the off-season working to improve his shooting touch. We already know his defensive ability and this is his team.
G- Thompson. 5 star freshman and jewel of the 2020 class steps into a starting role right off the bat. The main reason I think he starts is to give the lineup a secondary ball handler (something Self loves to have). He also brings a high level BBIQ, + size at the position, court vision and shot making ability.
Wing- Agbaji. The other full time returning starter for this team steps into his Jr year with a lot of expectations on his shoulders. There's video of his improved shooting form and Self has mentioned wanting to see Agbaji be aggressive on offense in order to keep him from blending in. Already a good defender, consistency on offense will be the biggest thing I'm looking for with him. Hopefully we'll see improved ball handling, shooting and decision making.
Wing- Braun. Christian steps into his 2nd year as a full time starter after playing well enough to gain a handful of starts and playing some big time minutes in the 2nd half of last year. I'm a fan of this man's game and has a chance to expand his role even further on offense as the teams top 3 point shooter. Word was he grew a few more inches in the offseason. Expecting big things from this guy.
Center- McCormack. Big Dave leaves the shadow of Udoka Azubuike and steps into a primary scoring option for KU in his 3rd season. Self recently said Dave had separated himself. He's the anchor in the post and we'll see just how much he's improved his game and his body in the offseason. If he followed in Doke's footsteps look out!
6th man and rotation- I expect Self to play 9 to 10 guys regularly early as he figures out rotations and what works.
Wing- Grant-Foster. I believe as the season progresses the Junior College product will earn the 6th man spot and potentially crack the starting lineup at times. A preseason injury has slowed him which may leave him a bit behind early. Self recently had some glowing remarks regarding some practices in which Tyon showed some serious offensive potential. He might have a bit of Moss role from last years squad as a human microwave coming off the bench to score points. Don't expect Grant-Foster to be a knockdown 3 point shooter but his blend of skill, athleticism and size will earn him minutes.
Wing- Enaruna. After showing some potential early last season Tristan hit the proverbial "freshman wall". He was a late bloomer in High School and learning how to fit in Self's system can be challenging. Year 2 we should see some positive gains from him on both sides of the ball. The experience he gained playing last year hopefully helps him earn a bigger role this season.
Center- Lightfoot. Mitch is back for his 88th season at KU after redshirting last season. Will be Big Dave's primary backup and will bring some rim protection and experience to the floor. We know what we're getting from Mitch.
PG- Harris. If Marcus ever leaves the floor for a break expect redshirt freshman Dajuan Harris to get some minutes. Not a prolific scorer but brings + court vision, passing ability, defensive instincts to the court that could blend in well with this team. His main role will be to be a sponge learning the position and give KU the ability to steal some minutes without Marcus on the floor.
Wing- Wilson. The highest rated recruit from KU's 2019 recruiting class enters year 2 after missing almost the entire season due to injury. Jalen reported he's lost 15 pounds in the offseason in order to improve his athleticism and ability to help this team. It remains to be seen what role he'll have this year but Self has consistently mentioned him as one of 4 battling for the 5th starting spot. Could be a versatile piece used as a Wing or 4 man in lineups with the ability to stretch the floor from the perimeter.
Expecting both Muscadin & Jossell to be non-rotation guys unless injury or Covid impacts the other 10 players. Both came to KU with some promise but needing to be developed in the system. With the free year of eligibility any playing time they may get is an added bonus for their development.
Expectations-
It's difficult to project the ceiling of this team right now. The media thinks they are a Top 10 team but anytime your replacing two stars in Devon Dotson & Udoka Azubuike that were matchup nightmare's I'm left tempering my expectations to start the season. Devon & Doke had elite skills that are not easily replaced. I don't see a star on this years squad but hopefully I'm wrong and someone steps up into that kind of role.
Thankfully Marcus Garrett is back to lead this team at the PG position, Agbaji & McCormack are in year 3 with tons of experience and the rest of the roster has a blend of talent and skill that can be molded into a good team. Unfortunately the schedule did KU no favors early as mentioned above. My worry is this squad is a year away due to the lack of an off-season to build chemistry. Most of this roster can return next season which makes me think the true potential of this nucleus could be a year away. The homer in me and historical evidence with Self says every year he reloads and makes the pieces fit. We shall see. I'm hopeful for a good season. I'm very excited to see how the 4-1 scheme runs for a full year. A five guard look could be exciting at times to see how that works. Too early to tell if this is a championship type squad. We just had one that was robbed.
What's everyone's thoughts?
