Something I want to say for next season while deep diving the issues this season on the court woth the offense.
Talent evaluation absolutely killed KU this season. Zeke and Coit were good fits on offense, but their ceilings were low enough to keep them from being true star players. Missing on the scouting of AJ and Rylan absolutely killed KU because they were supposed to be the NBA level talent to lift Dejuan and KJ up because those two were always supposed to be the role/support starters. Below is my breakdown of the offense and the fits of everyone in the offense.
AJ was known to be a terrible fit from day 1, Rylan was a bit more surprising, but less so after a deep dive on his skills and background. We all know Self's offense is based off a motion offense. There's rules to a motion offense to make it successful with the most important one being players that know how/when to cut and move without the ball, and a post player that is good passer.
I'll probably get some disagreements here, but Hunter Dickinson was an ideal 5 for Self's system. He was a top level passer amd could stretch the floor. When he got the ball at the top of the key, teams had to respect that Hunter could and would take that shot.
I'll also probably get even more disagreements here by say that Dejuan Harris was a good fit for Self's offense. He was good at probing defenses and forcing them to react and was generally pretty good at kicking out to the perimeter.
KJ was an okay fit for the offense. He was a good cutter which led to a lot of easy baskets and a solid ball handler, but his lack of outside shooting is what limited him and hurt the offense because teams didn't have to respect that because he never shot 3's.
Zeke was a very good fit on offense because he was great a moving without the ball and getting himself open for catch and shoot 3's, or if he had the ball in his possession, his step back 3 was also a very strong weapon. Diggy Coit was the same boat as Zeke on offense as their games are very similar to each other.
The reason AJ Storr was a terrible fit on offense was because he is an iso player. There's a reason I comped him to James Harden so frequently and that's because Storr needed the ball in his hands and everyone else to clear out so he could take his man one on one. That's not Self's offense and why AJ struggled so much here. I assume Storr is still planning on leaving, but if he stays for whatever reason, he's just not a good fit for Self's offense unless he works to reinvent his game this offseason.
Now to Rylan Griffen and why he didn't work out despite seemingly being an ideal fit on paper. Nate Oats doesn't run much real offense. It's very free flowing and simplistic which has it's pros and cons, but it's something that doesn't require a lot of knowledge on cutting and reading defenses. This is why Griffen struggled so much this year. He wasn't good at reading defenses or his teammates and would frequently either not move and camp in the corner (I tell my players all the time a statue is the easiest thing to guard), or he's would make the wrong read and make a bad cut and end up out of position. Griffen didn't have a high enough basketball IQ to pick up Self's system which is why he frequently looked lost on the floor.
For next season, we have Darryn Peterson and possibly Elmarko Jackson as starters and that's it. Peterson is a star and could thrive in any system, but what should make him lethal under Self is his ability woth or without the ball. He understands how to make cuts and create his own shots without the ball in his hands. He's a perfect fit for a motion offense.
As for everyone else, we saw Elmarko struggle playing off the ball because he wasn't great at making the right reads and cuts, but as a lead guard, he is a playmaker.
But it sounds like Self is looking to add another starting caliber point guard, but as of now, there's not much out there. A lead guard who run a motion offense and understands passing angles is a must. This was something Dejuan thrived at so we'll see if Self ends up running Elmarko out there or finding someone else.
As for the 3 and 4 spots, Josh Dix a as good a fit for a Self offense as there is. Fran McCaffery didn't run a motion offense, but ran a zone offense that utilized a lot of cutting to get players to their spots so there might be a small learning curve with Dix, but noting he shouldn't be able to pick up quickly. Players that know how to cut and move without the ball are vital to Self's offense and we saw what happens to it this season when there's a wing that doesn't understand those concepts.
As for a 5, Malik Reneau would be a pretty good fit for Self and KU as he can play in the high or low post and is an above average passer. His lack of 3 point shooting shouldn't be an issue unless there's other players out there that can't shoot 3's either.
