How's everyone feeling about this team after 10 games?
On target, exceeding expectations, below expectations?
Share your thoughts, we have a long week until Saturday's game in Assembly Hall.
I'll start.
I'd say we are on target as far as record goes. Considering who KU has already played compared to most of the country (see Houston's schedule for example), we are in good position as usual. The Marquette loss was one of those days where nothing went well. 13 hours later they big-boy gamed Tennessee so we know the makeup of this team is strong. Resume wins against Kentucky & UConn will matter in March when it comes to seeding.
I think overall as a team we're a bit below my expectations as far as level of play compared to past years.
The loss of Morris at the last minute left the coaches scrambling to adjust. Some guys are playing more minutes than expected because of that loss. It is what it is there. I understand this team is not going to play it's 'A' game even half the time. Have we even seen KU's A game yet? I would argue we haven't.
Thoughts on Hunter's impact so far?
I will fully admit he's been worth every penny in NIL so far. He's a force on both sides of the ball and providing leadership & consistent effort while playing a ton of minutes. Big Dave and Doke didn't log this many minutes for KU and so far he's holding up pretty well. I'm still coming around to liking him in the way I do others on this team but he's been every bit the advertised player so far. Does anyone notice how quickly Hunter tries to initiate his offense before defenses have time to adjust? Perhaps the one weakness I've seen so far from him is the lack of comfort going ISO & trying to score. He seems to do his work before catching the ball or immediately as he catches the ball, it's uncanny and not something I've seen from any previous KU player. I'm interested to see as we get further into the season to see how good Hunter is when we need him to go get a bucket down low.
Kevin McCullar our best player?
It certainly feels like he's the best player on this team a lot of the time. His impact on both ends has been outstanding so far. His jumper has improved, his confidence and feel in year 2 here is similar to what we'd see from guys in year 4. Kev took an opportunity to be the guy and has ran with it. So far he's the MVP in my eyes.
KJ Adams has ascended into an All-Big-12 player?
Perhaps a bit of a hot take but the past 3 games or so, how can anyone deny his impact on the court? He's a positionless player that has a hard time making free throws and has zero outside game but as Self says he's a stud. He's a winner too. I might be biased here, I sympathize greatly with KJ's story especially losing his mother and knowing the impact that has on you. I can't imagine what he's going through right now trying to navigate his personal life with this pressure to be great at KU. He's certainly taking this opportunity well so far to make an impact on the court with his teammates. I didn't know he could handle the ball in transition like he has lately and his passing ability seems to be shining even more this season. We all know the things KJ can continue to improve on but right now he's playing at an all-conference level and I hope that doesn't get lost in the shuffle of Hunter and Kev's great starts so far. Who's improved more, Kev or KJ so far?
Harris again the unsung hero..
Juan is averaging a career best 7 assists and playing more minutes than his coaches would like him to but that's the reality we face with only 9 scholarship players. I wouldn't say Juan has been better than last year in some areas, but he provides the steady force at PG we wouldn't have without him. It's hard to imagine what games will look like without him. Hopefully we are still a year plus away from that reality. He's a stud.
The 5th starting spot...
This seems like a storyline that's going to continue for most of the year. Elmarko has had some bright spots, especially of late and I do think he's starting to settle down into his role. Elmarko really is playing out of position but he's doing his best to fit with the other 4 guys. Confidence seems to be a big key for him, you see him slowly gaining it as he picks his spots and figures out what the coaches want from him. I had extremely high hopes for him this year and he's on target to get there imo. I like that Self has stuck with him in the starting lineup as by doing that he'll have a chance to get settled and start contributing more. His ceiling is still extremely high.
Furphy & Braun.
Johnny has been exciting to watch so far. Considering how late he joined this team its remarkable the impact he is able to have at times. His defense certainly needs some tuning (knowing when to move those feet instead of using the hands) but he'll get there. His ceiling is incredibly high not only for this season but hopefully in year 2 where he could be a potential breakout performer. I see Johnny as a player they must convince to stay at all costs.
Braun has impressed me in his backup minutes. His athleticism really shines, quick leaper and has provided steady minutes when needed. I like that he's a lob threat and rim protector as well. He's been a good addition providing consistent effort and play which isn't always easy to do when your backing up someone such as Hunter.
Timberlake & McDowell.
I expected to see more of an impact from Timberlake especially shooting the ball. This was a confident scorer at Towson with some surprising bounce at times. So far we haven't seen a confident player and we haven't seen the scoring. Perhaps expectations were misguided given his high profile transfer recruitment but I have a hard time believing UConn & UNC also misevaluated him. It's always a risk banking on mid-major players to make the jump up and still perform and I think that's a big part of it here. You have to kind of project at times. If anything this gives the staff even more caution when scouting transfers from lower levels. I can't imagine there's any science to knowing who will be a hit and who won't. I hope Nick continues to battle for playing time and can do some good things here.
McDowell- was a bit surprised in some of the early games at his ability to make an impact on defense and make some timely open shots. Seems to have fallen back into a sparingly used role but for someone that wasn't expected to have a big role as a freshman I'm happy with what we have seen out of him so far. I'm high on his future here and hopefully he sticks around to develop. Has all the makings of an important role player down the road.
@BeddieKU23 Really good observations all the way around. Two additions: 1. I was hoping Harris would have taken a step up (like McCullar), but I haven’t seen that so far; he’s still solid and I like him, but I find myself wanting/expecting more; and 2. El Marko looks like he belongs as a starter now, a far cry from even 5 games ago; I no longer cringe when he has the ball; his speed is apparent and I expect he’ll figure out how to use it as the season progresses.
On a whole, I think the team is playing below expectations, but I always want them to play like they are NBA-ready from the start, which I realize is unrealistic. I think they have not gelled well entirely.
Hunter - meeting or slightly below expectations - He seems slow, but when I saw him running in comparison to Clingan - Conn C - he looked like he was hustling. I don't know if he is giving 100% except with stiffer competition.
McCullar - He is above expectations. He is the go-to guy whenever a basket is needed and unable to get it low to Hunter. He has had 2 triple doubles. I am so glad he returned.
KJ - above expectations. In spite of everything that he has been through, he has given us quality minutes on the defense and he is putting up points even though his shot is limited right now to short floaters, layups and monster dunks. He always hustles and brings energy to the team and the crowd.
Elmarko - below expectations to being on target. He has been coming up better in the last few games, but based upon how he was made out to be, I expected more out of him. I did not realize that he is fairly new to basketball, coming from lacrosse like KJ. He will continue to get better, but not sure how strong or consistent of a player he will be this year.
Dajuan - below expectations. He does not seem as sharp to me this year in comparison to last year. He is making too many unforced TO's with trying to throw the ball into a crowd that is easily picked off. Is "the best point guard in the country" going to his head? He is not giving 100% in my opinion. Don't get me wrong, I am a huge Dajuan fan, but I have been disappointed in his play this year so far except in the 1 game where he hit several 3's.
Furph3 - on target I think he is doing well for the limited amount of time he has been present. He will be something special in time, but I don't know how well he will do this year. I think he has quite a few growing pains ( no pun intended), before he makes a huge impact. He certainly needs to work on his defense. He will improve dramatically from year to year, but I don't know how long we will be able to keep him.
Timberlake - below expectations - I was thinking he would be our next Svi re: hitting 3's. We all know how that is going. He seems to hustle to me on defense and is good when he is in front of whoever he is guarding, but faster players do blow by him far too often.
Braun - on target to above expectations - He seems to hustle and has better hops than Hunter and is a better blocker so far. He seems to take advantage of his minutes and does positive things when on the court.
Jamari - on target to above expectations - For someone that was going to redshirt, with the limited amount of time he has played, he had done mostly positive things. In the Missouri game, he seemed not as good as he had in earlier games, but he has good energy on the court and appears to hustle. I think he could be a special player, but don't expect a tremendous impact this season.
Agree about Juan, I have expected/wanted more but understand he's in a tough spot having to play heavy minutes again. He's still a stud and we'd be in a bad spot at PG without him.
Crazy part for Elmarko is he's playing out of position and is adjusting to being the 4th scoring option. He's yet to really show the best parts of his game which is creating off the dribble and using his athleticism around the hoop. Will be interesting to monitor if they start trying to get him more aggressive to the basket. He's growing up before our eyes otherwise I think. Whatever we can get from him from the perimeter is a bonus, in an ideal world his jump shot gets a bit more consistent given the good looks he's getting. FT shooting has been strong from him so far, points to a player with ceiling to develop reliable jumper.
@BeddieKU23 I was going to say "pretty good", but I think you covered that for me.
Good stuff.
I've been really impressed with how this team shares the ball. Nobody is hunting shots, #1 in the nation in assists. I think part of this is by design but also points to a team that isn't selfish and is hunting the right shots. Sometimes our turnovers are caused by trying to make that extra pass. Something they can improve on is the balance here.
Please add any other thoughts you may have. Love hearing what everyone thinks of the team so far.
@BeddieKU23 One thing I'm pretty stoked about is that we're shooting over 70% from the free throw line. That's pretty good for us - and we're getting them at the right times.
I DON'T like that we continually blow large leads, but I DO like that we persevere and come back from that.
I LOVE that KJ is becoming an inside presence - with that little 8-10' throw in shot - whatever it's called. He's going to be getting a lot of national attention by the end of the season.
I like that we're not K-State. I like that we beat Mizzou.
** Note - I just checked and we're number 188 out of 361 in free throw shooting. So we suck. But it doesn't seem like we suck as much as usual to me...
Agree with all the observations being made here. I think the team just feels really weird because outside of some of the halves against Tennessee, UCONN and Kentucky I don't think they've really hit their stride much if at all. A lot of mediocre performances against mediocre competition. It does feel like if we get 5 3's you can probably chalk that game up as a win. I think the poor fit(lack of shooting in the HD/KJ front court and just a lack of shooting in general) leads to some of these slumps but HD has been producing great and so has KJ so it's been working. McCullar being the alpha of the team from a scoring perspective feels a little strange given that he's always been a glue guy but I've been pleasantly surprised at the confidence at which he's been isolating from midrange and attacking the rim.
@BeddieKU23 said in Team discussion after 10 games:
How's everyone feeling about this team after 10 games?
On target, exceeding expectations, below expectations?
Share your thoughts, we have a long week until Saturday's game in Assembly Hall.
I'd say we're on target-ish. To speak the unspoken: Losing Arterio was a huge blow.
Agree with @BeddieKU23 on the scrambling to adjust mode. He was a small with quickness and ability. We really only have young Elmarko to replace that kinda skill. So, there are some growing pains in the works. Timberlake in theory has a different skill set.
With Morris, we would not all be complaining that Harris is exhausted and playing too many minutes. Hoping Elmarko can get more time on the ball. That will help east the load (but will Self do it??). But, that brings either Furphy or Timberlake to the floor, and neither has that kinda quickness to defend smalls. Liability at times. Mismatch at other times in our favor.
Hunter has been da man. Other than his slightly off offensive game vs. Mizzou, stud (as Self would say).
We will win some games with Hunter, we will lose some games because we struggle to hit 3s and don't have enough ball handling. I have not followed the offseason upgrades to other Big 12 teams, but i would guess another 5 loss conference record is not out of the question.
I have the same feeling about both the Jayhawks and Chiefs this year: title aspirations seem limited.
@rockchalkjayhawk I think KU will be much closer to achieving that goal
I think for the team as a whole for this point of the Season I would have to give a grade of a B. -- One of my biggest worries is our overall scoring total., The PPG is down , kind of worry later down the line we could be in trouble we go into one of our drought , we struggle to score. Another negative would be our team offensive rebounding if we don't score on our initial shot lots of time we are one and done, which just adds more pressure to score on the initial shot. --Defensively we are fine.
Now positives: I have love the way KJ has played , the kid is a stud , like has been mentioned positionless, guards very well , handles the ball well, has that floater down pretty good. He mentioned how Hunter and Parker & him practice that floater a lot. --no complaints on KJ for sure.
Parker has surprised me, he has done better then I expected, better rim protector then I imagined, rebounds fairly well - just overall seems quality , nothing fancy but just doesn't really make us worse, good back up to give Hunter a blow.
El Marko , has looked better these last couple of games, settling in, still ugly shot but quick, needs to work on his defense but it will come , still unsure if he is a fifth starter or not - - but question would be who do you replace him with ?
Furphy -think the kid is gonna be a good ball player in time, has shown he can hit the three, think about it , he is still suppose to be in High School right - -age wise ? - -needs work on his D but just young , still trying to adjust. he started behind the rest because of the late addition.
Timberlake , like others kind of a let down. I think it is so much in his head now/mental type thing his confidence is shot. I still believe he can be a worthy contributor when it's it's all said and done. - -Give him one good shooting game and it could be just like night and day. Believe it or not I think his struggles shooting the ball /his offensive game has also effected his defensive game struggles, I still think we can have hope.
Then Hunter -ya has had some monster games, pretty quiet 1st half against Missouri finished pretty well , really solid again if he weren't here not sure how we would feel that position and yet I can't pin point it but STILL for me just feels/looks kind of out of place, not the quickest guy in the house, kind of a liability away from the rim Defensively, - -I don't know. I DO KNOW though he sure is a blessing to have on the defensive boards and score. - I guess I'm just more use to having get out and run including our five like last yr when KJ t the 5 but hey believe me not complaining about Hunter yet there is something that just seems out of place.
Keiv - - -Kevin - -wll what can you say - -just a stud for us for sure that is all
Then we have Jamari, I myself got to say I think he has done well, better then a lot of people thought he would be I believe, I think he will be a solid 4 year player for us- -work some on his shot -- work more on his D but overall better then I thought from what I had heard
I think most of the basketball analysts from around the nation have us pegged pretty well. We need that consistent 3rd scorer. Losing Morris left a huge hole because he was the perfect fit of scorer/athlete and could defend well.
Most pleasant surprise - Kevin! He's really dialed it up a huge notch. He's like a big Mason... willing to take it in on anyone and risk his body for a bucket. A+
Hunter - He's a little too timid. Needs to fight harder for position and we need to set him up better. Our offense is Self's traditional hi/lo... but that traditional hi/lo was built for 2 post players. We sometimes (not always) need to clear out an entire side of the court except for Hunter so he won't be double-teamed. He's such a good passer he can kick it anytime he wants, too. He needs to do a better job of fighting for position and then getting a good shot off. He should be able to get his shot on anyone, including 7'5" guys. We need him to be a constant threat, not on and off!
Juan - He hasn't had a great season (for the most part, except UK). Too many TOs. I just don't think he has adjusted yet to this offense. He gets sped up and anxious. I think we will see a huge breakthrough with Juan over the Christmas break.
Elmarko - He is coming on and I like what I see! I'm just not sure if he can maintain his confidence throughout the season and into post-season play.
Furphy - A nice surprise. He's going to have a monster game within a year or two as his body develops. He's just not strong enough now to stop many driving guards.
Timberlake - Big question mark. He hasn't adjusted to playing tougher competition so he is out of his comfort zone. Because of that, he is playing sped up on his shot, hence the poor shooting. I'm not sure there is much more we can expect out of him on the defensive end. He needs a lot of help in placing his feet... otherwise known as "hedging against the drive." He needs to learn the driving tendencies of all players he will face this year and then hedge against their strengths.
Parker - More than expected! He still has room to develop even more!
KJ - He's going to work himself onto the NBA draft chart before he's done... or if not, get some serious tryouts. That mid-range floater is deadly and just what we need! He's a great compliment to having Hunter.
Jamari - Has great potential. Hope he sticks with us after this year but I understand he has to go where he can play. He needs minutes to develop. He's a guy we might recruit over and then he's gone. For now, he can be a good spark off the bench.
I think we are right about where I thought we would be record wise. Best surprise - Kevin, looks more athletic and could be playing his way to a draft pick.
Biggest disappointment is Timberlake, dude just seems to be completely lost. I hate being this hard on him but my god. He is quickly becoming one of the worst scholarship players in memory.
I made the comparison the other day to a Tony Bennett Virginia team. They value the ball well most the time and are efficient offensively. Leading the nation in FG% and Assists. They also play pretty good defense when the starting 5 is on the floor.
The downside to being a Bennett type team, if a team gets hot from 3, pressures hard and they push the ball like Marquette. We are in trouble in those types of contests. We play at a much slower pace than we are used to here at Kansas.
My honest opinion is I don’t see this team winning the big 12 this season but I’ve said that before and been wrong. I honestly think the B12 is far and away the best conference this season.
Defense always travels and this team could develop into one of BS best teams in that category. I can see this team losing in the first round of the NCAAs or making the final four.
Since I'm still trying to figure out who's on the floor half the time I may not be qualified to answer. So here's my observations
KJ, I do know who he is and he's a blast to watch. Hilarious that misery decided not to guard him and so he poured in 10 foot little flip type shots all night long.
DaJuan is a joy, the glow from the NC game has carried over and in my book he's a hero because of that championship season, although I'm still a little pissed at him for stepping out of bounds in that game. But his story is so great, another kid that was saved by college basketball and will graduate much better prepared because of it.
Kevin has been awesome. He's a fierce competitor and that drive just inspires everyone on the floor. He is the heart and soul of this team right now. His performance against UCONN was legend type of stuff.
The only newcomer I know is Hunter and I still dislike him as a person, but am thrilled he came to Lawrence. Bill would have had a tough time without him.
All the other newcomers I barely recognize still. I'm always looking up numbers and realizing oh, that guy that just bricked a 3 is Timberlake, or the kid who looks lost at times is Jamari, and the kid who's best known for being Christian Braun's brother just did a bit of dirty work for the team. Funphee is a fun name and he, I think it was him, recently actually who made a 3 or something that helped.
I wish we could have played Kentucky when they had their bigs. It'd be interesting to see how HCBS would have game planned that one. Marquette loss was a bit concerning but they are a solid squad.
And they better not screw this one up after spending a nice bit of cash the other day to see them in Bloomington!
Nice post @BeddieKU23
We are slightly better than I expected at this point given all the new pieces. We may fall short of expectations by season’s end (I expect somewhere between S16 and E8). with obvious weaknesses and a pretty unnuanced identity, we could run into a match up problem early that we can find no answers for.
Namely, Hunter can look mobile against another footer but his help D is always going to be a step slow. We still have too few 3balls. These could be alleviated if Kev keeps shooting out of his mind and Furphy is not a defensive liability and can keep raining 3s.
As for Nick, i am convinced he cannot shoot a 3 from the corner and thats all Self wants him to do. Need to put him at the elbow extended or on ball if we want to get any production from him. I dont think we will.
Elmarko cant shoot 3s and its going to take an offseason to fix, at least. So that limits his identity. Thats tough to pair with Juan unless Juan truly unblocks his shooting Chakra the second half and looks for his shot consistently.
I am not surprised at all by Kev. I knew he had it in him and glad we got to see it at KU.
Freethrows are a problem and another reason our identity isnt nuanced enough at this point.
Love all the posts @rockchalkjayhawk @nuleafjhawk @rcjhdraft @drgnslayr @approxinfinity @kjayhawks @wissox. Some awesome discussion going on.
I do wonder when Self is gonna call it on the Timberlake minutes. I understand why his leash is so long because this team desperately needs shooting but at some point you may need to cut your losses. He's an absolute turnstile on the defensive end
@rcjhdraft said in Team discussion after 10 games:
I do wonder when Self is gonna call it on the Timberlake minutes. I understand why his leash is so long because this team desperately needs shooting but at some point you may need to cut your losses. He's an absolute turnstile on the defensive end
The problem is really that Self cannot call it on Timberlake minutes. We need him.
Anyone have news on an inside track for us picking up another player at mid-semester? I guess pulling Clemence off of RS status isn't the answer. Hope he is busy sucking down pea protein shakes every day and sweating out strengthening workouts.
There's been no recent news there. Not sure it's going to happen anymore after they explored a reclass kid from 24 but the logistics etc just didn't work out. We certainly don't need a big and at this point getting someone acclimated to impact the backcourt seems rather improbable with conference play around the corner. Obviously, something could change but I'm not expecting we hear differently at this point.
So obviously it's early and guys like Elmarko/Furph especially can still make strides. However if you want to be alarmed... Our offense if you remove the first two games is 87th in the country on torvik. Of course the schedule has been absolutely insane. 4 top 10 level opponents and another P5 in Missouri. In general that EIU game where the team was coasting hurts this stuff as well.
@dylans said in Team discussion after 10 games:
@BShark Offense doesn’t pass the the test. But the sample size is small. A half dozen games into conference the modeling should get better and the team closer to the finished product.
I agree which brings up the fact that college basketball might just be very stinky. Given this team is winning at a high level.
I think we need to see Elmarko and Furph hunt for offense more to reach the potential this team has.
Bossi's comments about waiting for these old dudes to move on is accurate. The covid guys are going to finally dry up soon.
I agree that we could benefit from more offense from the 2 talented freshman. Elmarko is doing the right thing since he's the 4th or 5th scoring option right now. Fitting in, starting to adapt to his role. I would just like to see a better perimeter shot from him, seem to remember him a bit more consistent there in HS. I know he would need some work, but not to the extent it looks. Furphy doesn't lack confidence in his shot. Once he puts on some good muscle here he's going to be a problem
@BShark I think L is getting better at both, O and D. Furphy needs to hunt D! Johnny on the spot is hitting some 3's and not afraid to get on the boards and getting some put backs. His angle on D is too tight and he doesn't move his feet. He's very capable too! When he gets it along w/his length, he'll be a great defender. I think Mari showed why he's not playing more in the Mizzou game. He brought the ball up dribbled around, never passed and then shot it. Jmo. Don't think Coach was happy about that.
Bottom 5 offense in Self era so far via Kenpom, for whatever that is worth. They can get better and hopefully they do as you said, the sample size needs to be bigger. The early portion of conference play is a lot easier then the bottom part so we might have a chance to get into a groove and keep improving which would perhaps even out the numbers a bit. No doubt they have played a tough schedule and that's played a part in some of it.
Perhaps the one advantage to new teams joining the conference is that KU doesn't have to face every team twice. I did love that format but the last several years certainly made it difficult to have any element of surprise against teams when you face some of them up to 3 times in a season. Perhaps an advantage Self will gain against some league opponents when he doesn't have to face them twice.
Just a few things. I like all of our first year Jayhawks because they may look scattered sometimes but every one plays hard. Parker I'm impressed with your skill and court awareness and you are already proving you are what we needed. Timberlake just keep playing fearless and hard and your shot will start falling when the offense finds you in the flow of things. Johnny your shot is sweet thank you and your defense may not be there yet but the last couple of games you recognize that and in the Mizzou game you got picked by a screen but astonished me when you did a sideways 15' broad jump trying to get back in front your man and swiping at the ball as you landed scaring the heck out of the ball handler. Hell yeah. Elmarko I see you as a computer that is still booting up and your sly little passes during your lane incursions would get more credit if Hunter and KJ were more aware as your passes were bouncing off of them. Jamari you keep on focusing on your defense because you are already good at it and a kamikaze drive or two will do more damage to the defender than yourself. All of you should keep chucking it up because that's what we need when you are on the floor. Our fab four are doing their part but still need your help to survive.
Good idea that shows leadership. TY.
@BeddieKU23 said in Team discussion after 10 games:
Bottom 5 offense in Self era so far via Kenpom, for whatever that is worth. They can get better and hopefully they do as you said, the sample size needs to be bigger. The early portion of conference play is a lot easier then the bottom part so we might have a chance to get into a groove and keep improving which would perhaps even out the numbers a bit. No doubt they have played a tough schedule and that's played a part in some of it.
Perhaps the one advantage to new teams joining the conference is that KU doesn't have to face every team twice. I did love that format but the last several years certainly made it difficult to have any element of surprise against teams when you face some of them up to 3 times in a season. Perhaps an advantage Self will gain against some league opponents when he doesn't have to face them twice.
The funny thing is we have shot pretty well, it's the damn turnovers mostly.
@BShark looking at the stats from the title team vs this years, our offense looks slightly better in a majority of stats. 3p% is actually up but attempts is down 3. TOs is only up .6
Although that title team had weaknesses this changes my perspective a bit.
https://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/schools/kansas/men/2022.html ↗
https://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/schools/kansas/men/2024.html ↗
(Scroll down on each)
I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE the fact that we're ranked #2 in the nation and we're tearing our hair out over how terrible we are. Terrible defense, terrible free-throw shooting, terrible this, terrible that.
Man, it's GOOD to be a Jayhawk fan!
It's not out of the question we could be 20-1 and end up 22-9 after our brutal closing stretch.
Just looking in from outer space.
Indiana fans are ranked as 13th for obnoxious home court fans and loud about it. Profanity and nasty chants. Hunter rhymes with **, Furphy has herpes, Hairass Hairass Hairass, really not too much work with for them.
@nuleafjhawk said in Team discussion after 10 games:
I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE the fact that we're ranked #2 in the nation and we're tearing our hair out over how terrible we are. Terrible defense, terrible free-throw shooting, terrible this, terrible that.
Man, it's GOOD to be a Jayhawk fan!
AHH YES PERFECTION - is such a great thing
@BShark said in Team discussion after 10 games:
@BeddieKU23 said in Team discussion after 10 games:
Bottom 5 offense in Self era so far via Kenpom, for whatever that is worth. They can get better and hopefully they do as you said, the sample size needs to be bigger. The early portion of conference play is a lot easier then the bottom part so we might have a chance to get into a groove and keep improving which would perhaps even out the numbers a bit. No doubt they have played a tough schedule and that's played a part in some of it.
Perhaps the one advantage to new teams joining the conference is that KU doesn't have to face every team twice. I did love that format but the last several years certainly made it difficult to have any element of surprise against teams when you face some of them up to 3 times in a season. Perhaps an advantage Self will gain against some league opponents when he doesn't have to face them twice.
The funny thing is we have shot pretty well, it's the damn turnovers mostly.
The turnovers are just a part of having a dominant big who is a clear option one. Everyone knows that’s where the ball is trying to go.
Offensive woes point to two areas: poor perimeter shooting and not enough low-post scoring.
Hunter needs to put on his big boy pants and fight harder for inside position and then when he gets the ball, stop holding it and go right into a scoring motion.
Perimeter shooting... hope we improve over the holidays by developing better spacing and passing. I know our assist to points is very high but it doesn't tell the whole story or we would be leading the country in offensive efficiency.
I think a lot of this rests on Juan's shoulders. He is our PG and playmaker. It isn't fair to blame him.. it is just a case of our offense settling in better. Christmas break should be the time when our guys can stop focusing so much on the next game and start focusing on running better offense.
I'll know we are in good shape when Hunter has the ball around the FT line and he feeds Juan under the basket for an easy 2! That means we've worked hard all the way around on offensive efficiency!
@nuleafjhawk Geez, that is what I get for thinking!!
@wissox said in Team discussion after 10 games:
@Zabudda I'm wondering what it will be like for me there Saturday. Actually thinking of not wearing KU stuff.
IDK. Nothing like going stealth.
@Crimsonorblue22 You think I should wear it proudly? I probably will but I hear IU fans are kind of nuts.
@Crimsonorblue22 If I was nuts I'd go all rock chalk a jayhawkin into the place and probably get beat! Not that nuts!
@Crimsonorblue22 Oh it will be! I've always wanted to go to the Assembly Hall but wouldn't make the 3 hour drive to just see any game, so the chance to see us play there is just amazing.
I'm WAY more excited about this team than I expected. I was not happy about bringing Morris to KU, so I'm still disappointed and disgusted about the way that played out. Hunter was a bit suspect to me too, but I've been wrong before. (Tarik Black, you're a good dude)
In order of my happiness:
KJ--the kind of misfit guy I love (Jamari Traylor, Kevin Young etc.) Gives 100%. So, apparently he's been hiding some handles bringing the ball up the court. Who knew that?
HD--so good popping off that 4-8 foot throw in. Gets rebounds the easy way, in position and doesn't even jump. Kept his cool mostly so far better than I would have despite being mauled constantly. Seems to be a decent dude.
Kev--great so far, as expected. Best player for post game interviews too.
Juando--Just barely cruising. Needs to amp it up on offense. We have to have that ugly mode guy who can drive and draw a foul. Looks like he's conserving energy at this point.
5th spot:
ElMarko--hate to think where we'd be if he was running the point, but he is definitely starting to show flashes. Looks better than average hot shot freshman on D. He's still confident on O despite shooting like crap, so I think it's going to click in January/February.
Furphy--play him more. I think he's going to be a freak. Quicker than people realize. Doesn't hesitate a bit jacking threes. One of those guys who just has a nose for rebounding and is fearless. My second favorite player to watch at this point behind KJ.
Jamari--he's been big in big games, and that's along the KJ track of getting coach's trust
Braun--he's a man. I don't sweat a bit when he's in for HD.
This is a pretty dang good team, folks!
Thanks for humbling us there. It's true, we are spoiled. It's all Self's fault for being so damn good at his job.
I wonder if Juando is playing through aches and pains already. Rewatched the Missouri game and put on a game from last year and the speed/energy is different from him this year. Felt like he finally impacted a game defensively when guarding East the other day which was encouraging. Most of that guys junk came when someone else was switched on him. He's playing a lot of minutes again and Self has consistently said he's not built for it. I'd like to see if Elmarko can run the offense more, they did some of that in the Missouri game because Juan was spent at times. Hopefully we'll see an uptick in from Juando with limited games for the next 3 weeks. Chance to get healthier if he is nursing something
@drgnslayr to go along with the low post scoring, feels like out offensive rebounding is down. Hunter is good at what he does so it is hard to complain, but it is a lot harder to get your own miss with his 4 ft jumpers than when you are shooting from under the basket.
Easiest thing for me that the team can improve is to lower their turnovers. I know a high TO rate is a symptom of high assists since we are passing the ball more, and I am fine with the TOs when trying to make a play, but we seem to still have a high number of sloppy ones. Juan even seems to be ending drives every so often with a prayer of a pass and I can't ever remember him doing that in the past. Know that is pedantic but this team's offensive strength is ball movement and being the best passing team is country is what they should hang their hat on.
To go along with what MR11 was saying about offensive rebounding , this is one thing that we are really , really , bad at. - -let's see we are what 9-1 - playing what ten games this year ?
I was looking at our team stats and other then Hunter who has 27 offensive rebounds on the year and even that is not crushing it , but other then that no other KU player is in double digits for the season I think KJ is next with NINE & Kevin has EIGHT. In ten games haven't hit double digit in offensive rebounding - -just sad, so pretty much on the offensive end if we don't make our first shot - - -were done , empty trip. We only have a grand total of SEVENTY NINE offensive rebounds for the Season, that's not going to get it done. Got to get better.
Something else found really interesting. For as much as other teams lay off, and for as much as we holler for him not to shoot the Three , Juan is 2nd best on the team for three point shooting % and no it's not because he has attempted a lot less. - -Hunter leads in three point percentage at I think 51 %- - - then Juan is Second , he is shooting the three at a 45 % clip- - -making 9-20.
He has attempted the third most attempts, Hunter is first then Kevin then Juan is tied with Johnny and making 45 % - -he has to get more aggressive on the offensive end. I know he is a pass first PG but we are looking for that other guy to pick up more of the slack. Another thing Juan needs to improve on is FT %, you can't have your PG a guy who is going to be handling the ball a lot especially late , you can't afford for him to be shooting 61.5 % - -got to get better
Very nice post on KUSports:
It mentions our failure to get second shots. Simply... the shot goes up and only Furphy crashes the boards. We've seen him snag several offensive rebounds.
What sticks out is our leading the nation in assist rate. Who doesn't love sharing the rock, except it points to other issues? No one is driving the ball. No one. We had a taste of Kevin driving in a few games, but otherwise, no one. Juan has to drive more. KJ sticks out as our muscle and is capable, but he's also so deadly with that little floater shot.
These are areas we should be able to address easily. The one glaring area that should set-off alarms is how many treys we give up. We will win games as long as teams only shoot 31% (mentioned in the post), but what happens when they are hot? Wasn't this a big part of our drubbing by Marquette?
Are we sinking in our defense to stop the drive? I know we have Juan, Kevin, and KJ... capable defenders. Why aren't they doing a better job of guarding the trey line? Or are they guarding well and opposing teams are shooting more treys because they are running out of shot clock? I'm sure the stat is out there... what is the average possession time of our opponents?
Maybe we aren't aggressive driving on offense, aggressive defending the trey line, or aggressive on offensive boards because our starters are logging too many minutes.
Maybe we have to go backwards through the stat lines and consider how many minutes are starters are logging. At this early time in the season, too many minutes just means our guys are playing tired. As the season progresses, the symptoms shift to more possible injuries and guys showing seasonal wear that goes beyond healing with a couple nights of rest.
I think Self is going to have to be more creative giving our starters a blow.
@HoraceZontal I agree with remarks on Harris’ scoring deficiency. I suspect his is finishing his one-handed layup attempts in practice and just worries about getting blocked at the rim. But I look for him to start finishing there and when he does it opens up more lobs -he has good length required to finish despite his height!
@drgnslayr anecdotally, this years defensive possession times seem longer. 24 second clock violations are my crack, and there have been a lot.
So how did yesterday change the way anyone feels about this team? I think it confirmed my thoughts. They played like they're capable of in the 2nd half which is really effectively. But it also confirmed my view that they're a bit inconsistent as demonstrated by the 1st half. Some headscratching moments during that time, particularly when you paid a fair bit of money to go watch those headscratching moments! The game also confirmed my view that we've got a shallow bench which isn't a newsflash to anyone. Hoping to stay healthy.
KU is a title contender, but depth will be an issue throughout the year.
Self has to find a way to give Harris some breaks during the game otherwise he won't last the year at a productive level.
What stuck out most was our experience. Did not panic on the road and stuck with it, then turned it up a bit towards the end... enough to win.
I thought we would have blown them out had we run a faster pace throughout the game because this Indiana team has real problems if you speed them up.
Anyways... thumbs up for a big road win!
I don't think it changed anything, but I was very encouraged by the poise they showed in the 2nd half when getting back into the game and leaving with a victory. Indiana isn't very good but they played well enough to beat us & the crowd was very loud and played a big factor. Overall, I thought this was a C level game overall for KU, but they found a way to win and that's what ultimately matters.
Agree inconsistent team especially in the 1st half. 2nd half didn't start out hot either but then KJ gets a crowd silencing dunk within 10 seconds of Indiana going up 13 and then all of a sudden, the momentum starts shifting. I did not see us pulling this game out at any point with how the first 25 minutes or so went. Still a bit surprised we won tbh but this is the magic that Self yields at times.
Was a bit disappointed in how the bench was used in the game. Jamari gave huge minutes. He made at least 5 impactful plays in the game. A drive and assist to Hunter, an offensive rebound/putback that just missed, drilled a 3 off good perimeter ball movement and a big boy rebound in traffic that was a big play at the time. He made plays and at some point Self needs to trust him if that's the kind of effort you're going to get from a true freshman on the road. Parker saw only a few minutes. Nick isn't playable imo. Furphy didn't play enough to really impact either. The starters played too many minutes outside Elmarko. Self having a short bench isn't anything new. He still needs to figure out the balance of playing your starters 35+ minutes and the wear and tear that causes for later in the season. Is what it is.
Hope you had a fantastic time!
@BeddieKU23 The Indy Star called it the best crowd in years.
Top 5 crowd I've heard on TV away from Allen. I did not realize how loud they can get there so I can imagine that was something to experience. I guess that's what KU coming to town does, great to still know that KU coming to town is a big deal. With that kind of fanbase support they should be much better than they are. Without Galloway's super bowl game they are very average.
They were certainly rattled most of the first half but it was great to see them buckle down in the 2nd half when it mattered most. I was rewatching the game to figure out the game switched, but I think it was KJ Adams dunk after going down 13 that started it all. Seemed like a small play at the time but one that seemed to catalyst the comeback.
@BeddieKU23 said in Team discussion after 10 games:
Top 5 crowd I've heard on TV away from Allen. I did not realize how loud they can get there so I can imagine that was something to experience. I guess that's what KU coming to town does, great to still know that KU coming to town is a big deal. With that kind of fanbase support they should be much better than they are. Without Galloway's super bowl game they are very average.
CBS even largely mutes crowd noise. Buddies I know that went said it was a great crowd.
Indiana basketball fans are great. I've known several. They know the game well and are a class act. Wish they were in the B12! (at least, basketball!) Yes... they deserve quality basketball and I still consider them a blue blood, largely because of their fan base!
@BeddieKU23 The design of the building really contributes to it. Large flat walls above the 'end zone' seats. Sideline seats rise strait up, probably 15000 seats on the sidelines out of the 17000 seats. We had to stand to see the game because everyone in the nosebleeds was standing. One kid had a hat that said "The LORD is my Shepherd but Bobby Knight is my coach."!!
I agree with a lot of you that Indiana should be better. They play in a basketball crazy state. Just look at the HS gyms they have:
https://www.visitindiana.com/blog/post/high-school-gyms-basketball-best-of-indiana/ ↗
This list has the gym in my town Whiting (which incidentally is the place where Rockefeller started Standard Oil) https://valpo.life/article/top-10-gyms-in-the-region/ ↗
I was noticing that during the intro and during the game how the design of the building is different. I haven't watched a ton of Assembly Hall games tbh over the years since Indiana has been average for a long time now. I don't recall hearing them this loud before but good to know it's right up there with the best when there's a big game in town.
If anything this was a perfect road environment for the guys to experience. I don't imagine they will go somewhere else this year that rivals it but if they do, they will have some experience handling it.
On Hawk Talk this past week, Juan was the player there that got to ask coach a question. Juan asked him what gym was his favorite to play in. Self said Assembly Hall.
@BeddieKU23 You know how much KU coming to town means in Stillwater? Zip. Zero. Nada. Nothing. Next time we play there, watch the crowd. Maybe 3,500 on a good night. They must have a LOT going on in Stillwater besides watching top ranked Basketball.
It really doesn't matter but in a week in which #1 loses to #3 and #2 wins in a tough road environment and the mediocre team that #3 lost to earlier lost to Chicago State and #3 moves up to #1 over #2 well I feel a little tiny bit bad for #2, but I know I shouldn't because in my mind we'll always be #1.
Since starting the season 2-13 from the FT line Adams has gone 19-29 for 65%. He's now at 50% overall. Hopefully he will live in the 60's as the season goes by. Was really hoping coming into the year he would show improvement there since he gets to the line as much as anyone.
You know with the way Timberlake has played when in games , I'm almost to a point where I would just as soon see Coach let Jankovich have some run in Nick's place. Put him in , let him run with the starters for some minutes, might surprise some people running with starters he sure couldn't do any worse shooting the three - -think actually would be better , Nick's confidence is GONE PERIOD. Defensively sure not any worse then Nick. I just think at this point he would be a better threat to shoot the three then Nick.-- -Let the guys run a play or two to open him up for the three , I think it could be done, help the team.
I know Jank has liability but at this point , can't be worse - -never know till you try, Crazy ?- - probably but what the hell. We know he can make them , have seen it in mop up time. We were looking for an add to the roster for depth anyways , and we need three point shooters, he could be right under our nose, I'm not saying major minutes , but in time of foul trouble, stretch's where he can give starter breaks, I mean with what we got right now, what could that possibility hurt. Again can't be any worse then Nick, defense is about the same if not a little better , just sayin -ROCK CHALK
Nah. Nick is definitely capable of better than how he has played thus far. Whatever the reason, P5 adjustments, good ol' fashioned slump, etc, I think the best way to break out of it is to keep playing him and try and boost some confidence. Giving his minutes to Jank would be an even bigger hit to the confidence. We will need him this year, hopefully he can get right soon.
Nick and Jamari played more on ball when in this last game.
If you get a chance go to you tube, there is a really good regular podcast, talks All kind of College basketball - -the podcast is called the field of 68 ,- -they talk on different occasions about our boys, was talking today and said - -Yes Ku has flaws , still trying to figure out their 2 guard , talking about how we have 4 studs and then have a bench that should be like the 9th player
Yet they say even with the flaws he says F - - - it, no matter KU just gets it done. - -He gives and example he says just like the Miami heat , you getting 48 minutes of the heat -- Well Ku is going to play 40 minutes of Jayhawk ball , saying your going to have to beat KU as KU is not going to beat themselves , brought out - -brings out solid points on the team, talking about how Juan hit a huge three at Indiana - -How El Marko hit a huge three at Indiana - -Jamari hit a huge three at Indiana, & Kevin hit a huge three at Indiana.
Then here is an interesting point one of them said - -over the last two years when DeJuan scores Seven points - -KU is 23-1 - -that's pretty impressive. Brought up another point saying KU is making 72.9 % of their buckets off assists- -saying that's just a stupid number- - - a silly number. --Finished one of them said on last Saturday 100--- out of 103 teams probably at assembly hall would of lost that game to Indiana
would of lost that game - -KU they said was probably one of only three teams that would of won Saturday. - Love this podcast
@RockkChalkk said in Team discussion after 10 games:
Nah. Nick is definitely capable of better than how he has played thus far. Whatever the reason, P5 adjustments, good ol' fashioned slump, etc, I think the best way to break out of it is to keep playing him and try and boost some confidence. Giving his minutes to Jank would be an even bigger hit to the confidence. We will need him this year, hopefully he can get right soon.
Jank should never get real minutes. I know you weren't suggesting it of course but I've seen it mentioned here and there...and just no.
@BShark said in Team discussion after 10 games:
@RockkChalkk said in Team discussion after 10 games:
Nah. Nick is definitely capable of better than how he has played thus far. Whatever the reason, P5 adjustments, good ol' fashioned slump, etc, I think the best way to break out of it is to keep playing him and try and boost some confidence. Giving his minutes to Jank would be an even bigger hit to the confidence. We will need him this year, hopefully he can get right soon.
Jank should never get real minutes. I know you weren't suggesting it of course but I've seen it mentioned here and there...and just no.
I responded to the comment but then decided to bite my tongue and just leave that alone, everybody has an opinion I've voiced mine so I'm good
Mercy there are some people in here that are really confused all I can say is I'm sorry. -Yet there are people who says Jankovich should never see nay minutes/real minutes over Timberlake, Let me clarify if they are thinking I'm talking about 15-20 minute Jankovich then umm YA , but in a relief role, if you put him on the floor with the four starters, in NO WAY shaper or form is he worse at this point and time of the Season worse then Timberlake. - if you think he is a mistake or a turnover looking for a place to happen - -then look no further on the floor then Timberlake. - - Timberlake right now is a classic example a version of Joe Yesfu. - -I'm saying you put Jank out there with the other four starters for 3-4-5 minute stretch to give El Marko a break he would be fine. - -
Now am I saying put him on the floor over Jamari ? - -Oh Hell no. Yet between Timberlake & Jankovich - - Jankovich HANDS DOWN. At this time and point of the season Jankovich hits the three better and for sure is not any worse defensively. Hell you don't know if the turnovers Jank makes is his fault or others, as all you see him in is with other mop up time player. Does that happen when he is on the floor with the regulars ? - I just think right now he is a better back up for spot minutes then Timberlake who hs shown nothing and his confidence is gone. --If he shoots his first three and misses - - -GET HIM OUT cause his confidence went right out the door. Agin to those confused people I'm not saying major minutes - -BUT he could be on the floor for those 3-5 minutes and be just fie and a much better option then Timberlake at this presnt time
The point is, this is the perfect game to get his confidence back. Self picked him for a scholarship not Jank. Let's trust our HOFer.
@Crimsonorblue22 said in Team discussion after 10 games:
The point is, this is the perfect game to get his confidence back. Self picked him for a scholarship not Jank. Let's trust our HOFer.
oh I'm trusting him 100 % the trust is he is yanking him out earlier cause he is costing us- -Self realizes it and that's why your seeing Nick less
I was refreshing my memory on Elmarko's recruiting notes. Even Self has said he's learning a new position, so patience required. The big question is why did we recruit a highly ranked PG and are asking him to play SG when we know Juan will be here a bit longer? The first sentence seems appropriate to my thinking on his game so far.
"Jackson needs the ball in his hands to be at his best, both because opposing help-side defenders will be able to help off him and because he will have to learn how to play without the ball after having been the focal point of every offense he’s been in to this point."
Upcoming games. I noticed after TCU, 3 of the next 4 are are on ESPN+. Grrr. A quick check of Dukes schedule reveals no games on ESPN+. They do have the ACC Network. One of our ESPN+ games is a (as currently ranked) #2 KU Vs. #12 Oklahoma. This is definitely a first world problem, but it aggravates me.
@wissox How many pre-game and post-game shows does ESPN+ do for Kentucky or Duke? I can’t find any, but it’s there for all the KU games. I don’t understand why any KU fan would complain about spending about the same as a Starbucks coffee or a gallon of Biden’s gas or a movie ticket, to get KU basketball content for an entire month.
Some stats I was looking at. We're shooting 38% from 3. Good for 25th nationally which is really higher than expectations. I recall offseason discussions of how bad this team will be at shooting the 3.
We're also top 25 in shooting percentage, 8th at 51%. I think it tells me we take good 3's only. Because if we're shooting this well inside the arc coach would say why jack them up from outside unless it's a good look. I did notice that we have one of the lowest rates of shooting 3's at 17 per game which is 324th nationally.
Our FG% defense is elite so far at #15 nationally, giving up 37%. Not sure which Self likes better, great defense % or great shooting %? But having both working this year shows how well this team is doing.
FT percentage, something I always believe should be near the top for a program like ours, is pedestrian at 72%.
Our worst stat is offensive rebounding grabbing only 8 per game. Of course when you make a lot of shots there's fewer opportunities. On the other had we're rebounding at a top 15 level.
Assist to TO is elite as well, 13th. Much has been made about our high number of assists, we're 2nd currently, trailing BYU who laughably is 3rd in the NET currently and their 25oth ranked schedule, which is slightly better than 5th ranked ISU in the NET and their 288th ranked schedule.
Speaking of schedules, we're fairly pedestrian at 51 strength of schedule. It will rise after the Wichita game when we begin conference game. I still don't understand how a 12-1 record with a 51 SOS gets you ranked 16th in the NET when BYU with a 250 SOS and a similar record to ours gets you a 3rd rank. They have 1 quad 1 victory.
Still some question marks with this team, but these stats are showing we're doing a lot of things very well.
@dylans I get your point, but a month ago I started looking at my monthly costs and not only was it ESPN+ but others as well and it was adding up to 50 bucks or so. I was also adding a monthly expense at the same time that I need so I needed to cut out some stuff. I did throw a 'first world problem' disclaimer in there!
You know All I hear from broadcasters and such , other ones that suppose to be in the know is - -We can't shoot the ball. & yet w are 2nd in the big 12 in Fg % 51.4 % only behind Baylor who shoots at 52.4 % - -& like has been mentioned we shoot the three at 38.4 % and think they said National average is 36 % again our 3 pt % is 2nd in the Big 12 , only behind Baylor who shoots an insane 44.7 , so what am I missing ?
We have three starters shooting the three really well - -Hunter shooting at 50 % -- Juan is shooting at 45 % - - & Kevin is shooting at 40.8 % - -pretty dam good, we just have to get Juan more involved with scoring the ball, a lot of times just to passive when it comes time scoring
I don’t know about can’t shoot the ball, but KU doesn’t have a shooter. That was supposed to be Timberlake (our Moss/Coleman guy).
@wissox Still less than going to a single game and about half what I used to pay for cable. The price of everything else is the problem, we are all severely suffering from the economic policies of the current administration. - my basic expenses are up over 18% this year after a dramatic increase last year. Biggest jump in expenses - fuel, food, taxes, health and homeowners insurance. That’s what you should be upset about in my opinion, but at ESPN+ is as good a place as any to vent your frustration I suppose.
Yes like why are we spotting teams double digit leads with too much frequency. Puts us into the position of needing heroics to score 40-45 second half points it seems. but we are capable of those bursts especially when our bench helps. I guess we will be an exciting team.
@wissox said in Team discussion after 10 games:
@dylans Ok, thanks for the advice but I'm capable of making my economic decisions!
You misunderstand me, I have no economic advice for you. I don’t care about your finances, (hopefully) good or (hopefully not) bad. I am trying to say your complaints the day after Christmas about a value added product, that is geared 100% for the Jayhawk faithful, that saves most people upwards of $50 a month by allowing the successful cutting of cable, is a little bit misplaced in the audience. I think it would play better for another fanbase that doesn’t get treated so well by the network. One that has to get ESPN+ just to watch their team play against KU or some other single game. Even the other blue bloods don’t get the coverage that KU does. But if I had to get the Longhorn network to watch KU play a couple games a year I’d be pissed about missing those games…lol
