🏀 KuBuckets Archive

The Kaminsky / Alexander situation is very interesting to me. Obviously the points above are all great and point out that they are apples and oranges. One guy is a 4 year player who is 7 feet tall and can shoot. One guy is an undersized great athlete who was and OAD and did not get drafted.

The part that interests me so much is the rankings coming out of high school. For the most part the rankings are a great indicator of talent. Wiggins. Anthony Davis. Melo. These guys are all ranked at the top of their class and now they are studs in the NBA. Not a huge surprise. The big surprise to me is where guys are ranked and how much faith we all (myself included) put in these rankings. Big Cliff was ranked ahead of Karl Anthony Towns, Justice Winslow, Trey Lyles, D'Angelo Russell, etc. Crazy to think that is the case as all of those guys dominated college ball from the first tip. They never had the "still getting use to the speed of the game in college" moments that Alexander had or even Oubre. I just wonder why that is and what did the scouts miss? Or did they miss anything?

KU has had some really high ranked guys come in and put up big numbers (Wiggs / BMac / JoJo) but we have certainly also had some guys come in who are not highly ranked and put up great stats as well...Devonte Graham and Frank Mason are good recent examples. And that is just KU. Other big programs have these low ranked kids come in and contribute. McBuckets was unranked. Kaminsky was unranked. Trey Burke was outside the top 100. Shabazz Napier was outside the top 100. Russ Smith was unranked. These are all first team All Americans. What did the scouts miss on them?

I guess I am not questioning the rankings as much as I am saying that it is a crazy world out there and the ranking are just an indicator. Cliff made us all pretty sad by not producing much this year and most of our anger probably stems from the hype. When ESPN says you are the #4 player in the entire country you assume big things will happen. And then Cliff sits the bench, makes bone head plays, takes plays off, etc. I probably wouldn't mind all of this so much if he was the #21 ranked player like Bragg is this year. For me my expectations for Bragg are not that high. I am sure he is a stud but because he is the #21 guy and not the #4 guy I feel like I have reason to expect growing pains...which is possibly silly. Bragg may come in and put up 12 and 8 from day 1.

@Statmachine Cool article. Thanks for sharing.

I can't say that the article tells us much we don't already know. 4 year seniors have been great under Self. Jeff Withey, Releford, Sherron, Tyshawn Taylor. All of these guys helped KU go to the Finals. Hard to complain about that.

The OAD's numbers are not that bad, though. BMac was certainly on his way to helping his team go to the Final 4 as far as I'm concerned. It took the biggest collapse in KU history to keep that team out of the Elite 8 against a Florida team I am convinced we would have murdered. The Wiggins / JoJo year was derailed by JoJo's late season injury. I know most of us feel that Stanford doesn't really pose as much of a threat if our 7 foot tall baby Olajuwon is in the game but it happened so I guess we move on.

Selby was injured. Cliff was suspended. Oubre took his time figuring things out and once he did he was a pretty good player and almost a lottery pick. Xavier had a very solid year as he started for the #1 team in the country all year. Not bad.

To me the OAD guys are a necessary evil. We all hate that these kids are using KU (and other top programs) as a stepping stone but you have to get used to it. If we want to win championships it is just part of the process. Look at Duke last year. They are not probably crying a whole lot about losing their 3 best players as they cut down the nets. If we go to the Final 4 this year and lose Diallo no one will mind.

This year we have what should be a great mix of seniors (Ellis, Bam Bam, Mickelson) other upperclassmen and a presumed OAD in Diallo and maybe a TAD in Bragg. It is exactly what every top program should hope for. Depth, veterans and one or two guys who are going to be in the NBA shortly after using college as a 1 year preview for draft night.

@BeddieKU23 Totally agree and I hope we are right. If Jamari doesn't get many minutes this year that is a great thing. Nothing against our Senior Jayhawk but if he isn't on the floor much it means more talented guys (Diallo, Perry, Bragg, Mickelson) are getting the minutes. Mickelson played himself into the rotation in Korea. No doubt about it. I am personally hoping we see very little of both Jamari and Landen this year with four better options in front of them in the post.

@Statmachine I don't know how tall the cute redhead in this picture is...probably not tall at all. But it does get me very excited about the height we can have in certain lineups. At times we may have Diallo / Ellis / Svi / Greene or Selden on the floor at the same time along with a shorter guy like Mason or Graham. That is some serious length from the 2-5 spot.

T Rob was a pretty dominant player when he left college and as we all know has really struggled to stick with a team in the NBA. Hard to believe that Alexander will have better luck. They are very similar in size and their games are similar. To my eye T Rob is simply a better more seasoned version of Cliff. I don't see Alexander making much of an impact in the NBA any time soon. I wish him the best and hope he can make a team.

Let's get serious here. Frank is not going pro after this year. Hopefully he can after his senior year but give me a break. I LOVE Frank but an average shooter, far below average height PG is not going to be a lottery pick next year. He is tough as nails but so are most of the guys in the NBA. The Harrison Twins get picked late 2nd / not picked at all and they are 6'6. It is a tough world out there.

One of the most exciting things about this KU team is how many guys are "veterans" yet it is also exciting how many of them are not NBA flight risks in general. Perry is a senior along with Bam Bam and Hunter and Diallo is supposedly an OAD. Selden is playing like an NBA 1st rounder but that may be it. Frank is back. To me Svi is back unless he does something very special this year. Devonte will be back. Greene is a 4 year guy. Obviously Lucas is back and Vick and Bragg are going to be around for awhile. This is a Final 4 team and 1/2 of the pieces should be back even next year.

Yes. He can and he will. The starting back court of Mason and Graham will be one of the best in the country due to two guys who can handle the ball with ease, can shoot well enough to keep their defender honest and above all have grit and will to win. I can't wait to see the lineup of Mason/Graham/Selden on the perimeter with Perry/Diallo in the post. That is a Final 4 starting 5.

@JayHawkFanToo Good point. After Cliff's performance last year I think we can all step back and assume that guys will take awhile to develop. Actually, who was the last KU post player to have a huge impact his freshman year not named Joel Embiid?

I tend to agree that Diallo should start by mid season. Some of this is based on hype and an assumption that he will be a stud. Some of this is based on the fact that Landen and Bam Bam are simply not D1 top 5 team in the country starters. They are role players on a team the caliber of KU, plain and simple.

Hunter is the more skilled player than Landen. Better shot blocker. Better free throw shooter. I hope that the recent success Hunter has had means more minutes than Lucas. Lucas should be the odd man out behind 5 other post players who are either more talented or better in the system. With that much in front of him I don't expect to see much Lucas this year.

@HighEliteMajor Absolutely. I posted yesterday that I think if Wayne is the best player on KU that we will be the best team in the country. What I mean by that is if Wayne keeps playing the way he is right now for essentially the entire season. We have never seen consistent game to game play from Wayne until this summer and hey, it is worth the wait if it means he is this good all year.

Wayne is due for a huge year. Wiggins is gone. Oubre is gone. It is his turn to be the main scoring threat on the perimeter and he has 2 more years in the system than those guys ever had.

The questions above are very interesting. Will Wayne start at the 3 all year? Will Graham or Svi be at the 2 as starters? You have to think either BG or Svi would have to suffer being the 5th guy who would get the fewest minutes.

@Statmachine Totally agree on Graham. He will be a total stud this year. I also feel Diallo will be great although not a great offensive player early on in the year. That could change as the season goes on.

I tend to look at Selden / Perry / Mason as the "Big 3" if you will. We have a lot of guys who can score and a ton of talent but to me our season will be decided on how those 3 veterans play.

Selden is the thing that stands out to me from this game and in general this summer. If he is hitting 3's that is great but what I really like is it seems like the bounce is back. He is dunking the ball a lot and appears to be aggressive in a new and more confident way. How many layups did he miss over the last couple of years...many of which seemed like he should have just dunked?

If Selden is our best player this year I think we are going to be the best team in the country. Perry is a rock and will put up his 14 and 7. Frank Mason is a rock and will score when we need him and will dish tons of assists if that is what the game requires. I'd like to see Selden be the scorer. 17-18 a game is totally possible with the way he is playing as he is both bombing 3's and scoring at the rim.

@HighEliteMajor If Landen Lucas starts over Diallo I really hope he has improved a TON as I did not see anything last year that said "Starting center for a top 5 program". I know you hate seeing Jamari in the game and I personally feel like that about Landen. I hope I am wrong but I just don't see a very high ceiling for him. He really is not great at anything. Good at certain things and plays his ass off but Diallo was brought in to start as far as I'm concerned.

I think the only way an OAD is worth the time and effort is if they come in and make an instant impact and put up numbers. Diallo will be a bust in my eyes if he comes in and gets 15-20 minutes while backing up Landen Lucas during his 1 year.

@drgnslayr I agree. I really like the idea of Wayne being at the 3 but I don't think it is the best thing for him and the team.

Mason may not be a "pure" point guard but I think he and Graham will split time playing the PG which is great as we should always have a good ball handler in the game. It is beating a dead horse but a lot of our early exits from the tourney can be blamed on bad guard play (not sure last year is that reason but 2014 and 2013 are examples). This year we should have some of the best ball handling we have had since 2008...or so I hope.

Wayne is due for a great season and I think he will have that if he stays focused on the 2 guard spot. That is the position he has played for the last 2 years as a starter and it is his time to shine. Wiggs is gone. Oubre is gone. Wayne should have the green light and hopefully will string together an entire season of games like Florida and Baylor and not pull the disappearing act like the WSU game.

This year's team is exciting for a number of reasons but my #1 reason is guard play. Mason / Graham / Selden are going to be a force.

I love this class. To me it is a perfect blend of players and talent levels.

1. It has an OAD and only one OAD. This is perfect. Get one guy who is NBA ready. You have to to try and keep up with Kentucky, Duke, etc.

2. McD's guy who is not an OAD. I really love this. If Bragg can be another Perry Ellis I am all for that. I'd take this kind of player every day of the week.

3. A guy that is unheralded and just now getting the love he probably deserves from the scouts. Mason and Graham are proof that Bill gets these diamond in the rough players and turns them into studs.

4. A big body transfer who already knows how to play D1 level defense, etc. The guy has played against the bigs from UK and is a physical presence. Needs polishing and needs to learn how to make post moves. This is one of Bill's specialties.

I'll be there tomorrow! If the rain stays away. Go Royals!

@RockChalkinTexas Love B Rush. Maybe one of my top 3 all time favorite Hawks. I know that his career has been full of injuries but I am shocked that he essentially doesn't play. He was a simply awesome college player.

Oh, well. I assume Brandon is ok getting paid $1.1 million to play basketball no matter how many minutes he sees.

@justanotherfan Where would he start? Or maybe it is better said, who would he start in front of? Not questioning you. Just curious what you think.

Love the video and love the hype he is getting. Sounds like he really is an amazing pickup this late in the process.

All that said we all know that these videos are to be taken cum grano salis. I still remember watching Selden's videos and all the hype that came with those!

Really excited to see what this kid can do at the college level!

@KUSTEVE Great post and I agree. We will be really solid but to me it is most important that it appears to be a down year in college ball. At least from a dominance standpoint.

KU returns a ton of key players. So does North Carolina and so does Maryland. Who else does? I suppose Gonzaga is bringing back quite a bit as well but that is all I can think of as far as National Title contender teams and who has much coming in.

This coming season Kentucky was not able to do what they have done the last few years and put together a #1 team with recruiting. They simply struck out down the stretch on the big recruits and they are left with a very very solid team but not the UK we saw last year or the years of John Wall or Anthony Davis. This is a UK team that should lose 5-10 games.

Duke lost almost everyone who scored. I know they have guys who can play who were waiting their turn and they have good recruits coming in but again this is a team that should lose far more often than last year when they had 3 first round draft picks and a senior guard who could shoot.

Wisconsin made a great run the last two years. I think that is over for a bit. Seems like a solid squad yet again but not a Final 4 team.

MSU is always good but again they lost a number of major pieces and where they really that good last year? Not really. Got hot at the right time. Upsets went their way and Izzo is Izzo in March.

Arizona lost a lot to the draft and graduation. Looking at their record from last year and that is going to be a hell of a tough thing to duplicate especially with Cal and UCLA being better teams next year.

Obviously I am missing some teams who are going to be really good but I just don't see a repeat of last year where 5 or 6 teams (Duke, UK, Zona, Nova, Gonzaga, Wisconsin) just dominate from start to finish with only a few losses a piece. I see a 6-8 loss team this year having a good shot at a 1 seed and I think KU is going to be as good as anyone in the country similar to our 2008 and 2011 teams.

@Statmachine I think Okafor is the best post player of the 3 actually. JoJo certainly has the most athletic ability. That is just a fact. It will be interesting to see how all of these guys adapt to the pro level.

I would love to land this kid. Can't teach height and KU's track record with 7 footers is probably unmatched.

That said, I really hate all of this transferring. It is amazing how prevalent this has become. Just pick a school and stick it out. It will be a good life lesson to put in some hard work.

@justanotherfan I agree on the point about the NBA being the place where you can develop. I think it is a misconception that the NCAA is a better place to develop. Some guys like Kaminkski (or Perry Ellis) need 4 years to reach their peak for the draft but I totally agree that the NBA is where guys go from being good players to great players. NBA guys play every single day. All they do is play basketball. There are no college courses to worry about. No restrictions on practice. No "this is how I need to play as I need to impress for the draft" stuff. The NBA is a business and the management and coaching staff are sinking tons of money into player development and there is essentially no off season. Think of how good Okafor was for Duke this year and that is with only one year of playing against great competition. He hasn't even learned how to shoot yet. In the NBA he will turn into a monster and may be playing along side Wiggs next year.

Looking forward to seeing Wiggs development and JoJo once he is healthy! Those guys are potential NBA All Stars. I can't say I feel that way at all about Oubre. Glad he is living out his dream and I think he had no chance but to leave but I don't see him being anything outside of a rotation guy in the NBA. Not that this is a bad thing. I wish I could make $2 million a year being a rotation guy at my company.

He had to leave. All of these kids who are possible lottery picks have to leave. Why stay if you are going to more than likely be in the lottery? Too much risk of injury, etc by coming back to college.

It is the kids who are projected 2nd round picks like Dakari Johnson that I don't understand. He barely played for 2 years at UK and will go late in the draft. I truly don't get why he leaves unless he is covering up the fact that he is not good and wants to get drafted on "potential".

@HighEliteMajor I 100% take the rankings with a grain of salt when they are outside of the top 15. The top 15 guys are typically as advertised and are going to be studs in college and play in the NBA. There are a few exceptions but for the most part the cream of the crop out of high school do great things in college and play in the NBA.

From there it gets very dicey and some guys flop and some guys play way above their ranking. Look at the All American team from this year. Frank Kaminsky was unranked. Delon Wright was unranked. Jerian Grant was not in the top 100. Malcolm Brogdon was not in the top 100. Seth Tuttle was unranked. The remaining All Americans were all total studs who were supposed to be incredible, Okafor and Russell type kids. I think the guys ranked from about 15-100 don't have a ton of difference.

@KUSTEVE I honestly have no idea. I literally no nothing about this kid or what he can do for KU this coming year. I do know that Mason and Graham are the best PG duo we have had in a very long time and I am incredibly excited about that!

@BeddieKU23 This kid is for sure in the class of 2016, right? No thoughts of reclassifying or anything like that?

@KUSTEVE I tend to like that idea as well. The biggest issue is who comes in to play PG when both Mason and Graham need rest or are both in foul trouble?

@KUSTEVE Me too. The fact that UK is striking out this off season on a number of their targets is really wonderful.

What I really don't understand is why this guy is ranked so low but KU lands him and other huge programs are after him? Is it another Frank Mason situation where everyone knew the ranking was too low? Or Trey Burke or Shabazz Napier? We can only hope.

@HighEliteMajor I have always agreed with you that National Titles and Final 4's are the most important thing. The Big 12 titles are nice but not really what I think we should hang our hat on.

Duke is a machine. They win the ACC most years. They go to the Final 4 all of the time. They have 5 national titles since 1991. It is insane.

I don't put UCONN in this category. Yes, they have 4 titles but they are the biggest anomaly of any program. They only have 5 Final 4's. Somehow someway they either don't have much of a season or they go all the way. It is crazy. Personally I would not trade KU's success for UCONN's. UCONN is simply too up and down as a program. Last year is a great example of why I would not trade. They win it all 2 years ago and follow it up with a non tourney year.

Man, this is really amazing. Would love to see Coach Cal walk off the floor at AFH in defeat!

@DoubleDD Agreed. I know that KU hasn't been very successful in the NCAA since we went to the title in 2012 (3 whole years ago!) but look at ISU. Their post season history is awful. Again, I will believe ISU is a great program when I see it and to me winning the Big 12 tournament and winning 2 of 3 games against KU (1 of those at home which they should win) is not that big of a deal. Maybe if they ever go past the Sweet 16 I will start to think of them as a premier school.

Like the confidence from Kelly. I just don't see how he could possibly be a top 7 pick. There are easily 10 guys in front of him that were better players in college and have equally high ceilings. I see him more of a late lottery or just after the lottery.

Cliff is a big question mark. I would not be surprised if he slips out of the fist round. There is very little footage of Cliff doing anything that impressive against college level competition.

@drgnslayr No need to apologize. I love this post. I am right there with you. As far as ISU going to a Final 4 or even an Elite 8 I'll believe it when I see it.

For some reason I am not sold that they are going to be as good this coming season as they were last year. Call me crazy but I see Oklahoma and Texas both as scarier teams than ISU next season. Hield is probably the best player in the Big 12. UT has almost everyone back and a very good coach (who I hate more than anyone not named Cal) and I expect both OU and UT to be extremely tough.

With all of that KU wins another Big 12 title and Bill Self makes it back to the Final 4 with the perfect mix of talent and veterans.

@drgnslayr I don't think there is any doubt that BG is the superior shooter. He is one of the best pure shooters I have ever seen. Incredible FT shooter and when he is feeling it the ball seems like it barely touches the net.

That said, what other positives can you give about BG? Not a good passer. Not a good rebounder. Spends a lot of time in the Self dog house. Obviously doesn't play any defense. AW3 may have been better at all of those things.

I still go with BG, though. A guy with his shot at his height is a rarity.

This may sound over confident but I think we are as good as we have been in years (on paper) and that we will win the conference by more than 1 game. I honestly feel that we will win the Big 12 by 2-3 games.

My rationale...

1. We never lose at home. Nice to have this luxury.

2. Perry Ellis and Diallo will be a better post duo than any other in the Big 12.

3. Diallo is our coveted rim protector and teams won't be able to shoot over us as easily

4. Mason / Graham will be as good as any PG's in the Big 12.

5. Bill Self wins more games on the road BY FAR than any other Big 12 coach.

6. Once Greene is back we will be deeper than any other Big 12 team.

@JayHawkFanToo Ok, gotcha.

Good posts. Crazy that Simmons is going to LSU no matter how good he is!

@JayHawkFanToo

In your rebuttal you say "you have to give the edge to the team with the least unknowns..."

I think that sort of proves my entire point. Teams who have mostly guys who have played in the NCAA against NCAA competition are proven. KU, ISU, Maryland, Virginia. These are veteran teams. UK and Duke have prospects coming in that are unproven at key spots. I give the edge to the teams who have NBA level players that are older and have played in college for 1-3 years.

To my eye Ben Simmons is not Wiggins or Parker or Durant or D. Rose. This is a soft year. I may be a homer since Wiggs is a Jayhawk but the kid was the most coveted recruit since Melo and he proved why in his first year of the NBA when he won ROY.

@justanotherfan Good to know. Somehow I totally missed that coaches have these. Thanks for pointing this out.

I do have to disagree that coaches have to sound like this. I agree that they are all salesman. You have to sell the program, campus, chance to play in the NBA, et cetera. But I don't hear other coaches (including Coach K) hyping the NBA dream so much. Part of the reason that I think this is a problem is how many of these kids are going to float around in the D League after leaving too soon. Teague is a good example. I think Dakari Johnson is going to be another example. These guys are simply not ready. How does Teague benefit? Will Dakarki (slow, fat, can't shoot) benefit?

@Crimsonorblue22 Thanks for posting. I honestly did not know that Coach Cal had his own website.

This may be the biggest load of b*llshit I have ever read.

For those of you who don't get a chance to read this lovely look back at the Kentucky season it is certainly Coach Cal doing his best as a salesman and not an actual coach. Apparently his priority at the beginning of the season was to send 8 players to the NBA? That is the priority? Because you are player first? This really gets down to the reason why so many high level players have gone to UK over the last few years. It is simply a stop off on their way to the pros. I know this has all been obvious to me for years but it is really horrifying seeing it in print.

This at least reminds me that the Kentucky loss this year will probably always and forever be my favorite game that was not a Kansas win.

@JayHawkFanToo I think that Duke and UK are the #1 and #2 classes for sure but that is all relative. There is no Wiggins this year or Jabari Parker or Julius Randle or Okafor. This is not an incredible crop of players. Duke has 2 highly ranked guys coming in. Really not that great of a class. It just so happens that a lot of the high ranked players this year went to different schools instead of going as groups like many of the recent UK classes or of course Duke last year.

Personally I would take a seasoned team with a lot of returning pieces like KU, ISU or Maryland over Duke. Kentucky has a number of pieces coming back but not a whole lot of guys who have ever played big minutes.

@JayHawkFanToo Not being a homer at all but who would you put ahead of KU and why?

@RockChalkinTexas Thanks for posting this.

To me looks like kind of a less top heavy year in college ball. It appears that a lot of teams have talent and there should be fewer teams that coast through the season.

Last year Kentucky, Duke and Wisconsin really dominated all regular season and then made it to the Final 4. Arizona dominated almost the entire year. Nova dominated almost the entire year. I could of course be wrong but I don't see as many teams with 5 losses and under this year. The Big 12 is going to be really tough. The ACC will be really tough. No way a team like Duke only losses a few games against that conference this year, especially with their most hated rival as the pre-season #1 in the land.

It is certainly nice to see how many teams have players coming back. The top 10 on this list includes a bunch of studs from last year. Maybe not the same OAD talent of the last few years but that is fine with me.

Looking forward to a great year. How is it 5 months away?

@BeddieKU23 Love these points. The guy is like a 90% FT shooter and when open and "healthy" he is a crazy 3 point shooter. Automatic in a few games last year.

I don't see how a 6'8 guy who can shoot 3's like he can doesn't turn into a big time contributor this year or next. I know the off-season surgery is a problem but I am convinced he will be a piece of the puzzle this year. Look at Heslip for Baylor. The guy is 6 inches shorter than B Greene and also played zero defense yet every time we played Baylor while he was there he went nuts. Why can't Greene do that? Run 7 or 8 plays for him a game. That should be 2 or 3 3 pointers and then his 90% FT percentage. He should average 8-10 points a game as the 7 or 8 man in the rotation.

@Statmachine Yep. I don't think he is all of the sudden eye to eye with Withey.

@BeddieKU23 I fully agree that this should be the starting lineup.

I wouldn't mind seeing Graham start as well if Svi is not up to speed by the start of the season. We could start Wayne at the 3 if that was the case.

Perry is obvious. Mason is obvious.

Diallo will start from day 1. I don't think that is an issue like Cliff was last year. Wiggins and Selden started from day 1. So did BMac (I know he was a redshirt but still). Self is not against playing Freshman if they are ready to play and Diallo is going to be ready. He is 100% effort and that will win him a spot along with his incredible athleticism.

Hawks!!!!

@RockkChalkk Good post.

To me wanting to win and wanting to play for a team that has the possibility to play for a National Title are two different things. A few of these kids will instantly make their somewhat bad teams better. Mississippi State, Marquette, LSU, etc. They will all be very improved with the top 10 players coming in and they certainly will win games. Will they compete for national titles? Probably not but they may be pretty good. I actually think Michigan will be a very good team next year. LaVert is back as are a few other guys who contribute. Last year was just rough for them with injuries, etc.

I guess the reason this doesn't bother me (recruits going to schools that won't be in the Final 4) is that in many ways I consider it a breath of fresh air. For an elite recruit to not just say "Hey, I am going to go play for Kentucky with 8 other All Americans" is a good thing for college basketball. It will certainly give me a reason as a viewer to watch the Miss. St. game...or the Marquette game or other teams I would probably never watch. Last year I just had to watch Kentucky or Duke to essentially see the NBA draft.

I like this. I like the idea of kids going where their heart is. Family ties to a school is a big deal. I personally went to KU because of family connections and it worked out quite well for me. If the top 20 recruits are spread out more evenly across college basketball we will see less and less of these UK and Duke type teams from last year that win solely based on freshman and I would love if that happened.

@BeddieKU23 I am ok with Lucas solidifying a spot in the rotation if he somehow makes a huge leap over the summer. If he is a similar version to last season I would not mind if he does not play much at all behind Diallo and Bragg.

@wrwlumpy You are probably right.

Selden could play the 3 with Greene and Svi out.

Backcourt of Graham and Mason.

Lucas gets the go ahead at the 5 since Bragg won't be up to speed and Diallo can't play.

@BeddieKU23 I agree on multiple parts of the post. I, just like you probably am too excited about Diallo because he was such a need for our team. We have to keep in mind that he is not the second coming of TRob just yet. Look at Cliff from last year. We all thought he was going to be a day 1 starter who put up 12 and 10 and that simply never happened. We all need to be realists. Diallo may struggle with the jump to the NCAA just like Cliff. But I doubt he will. He seems to really have the physical tools to make an impact right away.