Three strengths and a couple questions for Kansas basketball at the end of summer workouts | Tale of the Tait

With summer time exercises now up to now and the 2022-23 Kansas basketball roster set, we’ve slightly higher concept of how Invoice Self’s squad will look when it hits the ground to defend the 2022 nationwide title later this yr.

The Jayhawks will characteristic a returning core of veterans in Jalen Wilson and Dajuan Harris Jr., and Self and firm are desperate to see what returning position gamers like Zach Clemence, KJ Adams, Joe Yesufu and Bobby Pettiford can do of their second seasons with this system.

Then there are the newcomers. It’s not 11 new faces prefer it was a season in the past. However it’s an honest quantity nonetheless, headlined by Texas Tech switch Kevin McCullar Jr. in addition to five-star freshmen Gradey Dick and MJ Rice.

The 2022-23 Jayhawks have much more depth within the entrance courtroom within the type of freshmen Ernest Udeh Jr. and Zuby Ejiofor together with super-senior large man Cam Martin, who transferred to KU from Division II Missouri Southern State final season however elected to redshirt.

However it’s nonetheless too early to know what any of these three will deliver to the lineup, and nobody fairly is aware of what to anticipate from second-year Jayhawk Kyle Cuffe Jr., who additionally redshirted final season.

What is understood, nonetheless, is that the Jayhawks themselves consider they’ve the type of roster in place that may make an actual run at defending the title and getting the Jayhawks again to the Closing 4 for a second consecutive yr.

Now that we’ve seen a few of these guys play and not too long ago talked to just about all of them, let’s dive into precisely what this staff appears to be like like coming into the remainder of the summer time.

Right here, in no explicit order, are three apparent strengths and three potential query marks surrounding the 2022-23 Jayhawks.

Strengths:

• Management – Harris is a pure chief due to the way in which he performs the purpose guard place and he has vowed to be extra intentional about his management subsequent season, as nicely. However all indicators level to Wilson as the largest cause this staff shall be in fine condition within the management division. Not solely is Wilson the staff’s high returning participant, however he additionally could be the best and needs to be the face of this system. He’s hungry to enhance his draft inventory and present the world that the Jayhawks are nonetheless among the many high groups within the nation, and he’ll push each himself and his teammates to attempt to show that to the remainder of school basketball. After which, after all, there’s Self, who, regardless of the still-looming NCAA investigation, simply appears to be getting higher and having extra enjoyable on a regular basis. Each of these parts profit his groups in an enormous method.

• Backcourt and wing depth – In Wilson and McCullar, together with Dick and Rice, the Jayhawks have 4 uber-talented wings with an excellent mixture of expertise. All 4 of these guys can play a number of positions and every brings one thing barely totally different to the roster. Dick is arguably the staff’s finest shooter and a terrific athlete. Rice is a three-level scorer with bodily maturity past his years. McCullar is a defensive menace. And Wilson’s intangibles are headlined by his rebounding prowess and skill to push the ball within the open flooring and drive to the rim. Add to that the highest trio of guards in Harris, Yesufu and Pettiford, who are also interchangeable within the backcourt, and also you’re taking a look at a roster that figures to have all types of flexibility by way of each who performs and the way they play.

• Perimeter protection – There’s loads of hope (and cause to consider) that Pettiford and Yesufu can each be elite, impression defenders on the perimeter. However the Jayhawks already know that Harris and McCullar are. That duo, together with KU’s typical development of bettering its staff protection from week to week all through the season, ought to give this squad the potential to be fairly stable defensively. After being ranked within the 40s halfway via the season in KenPom.com’s defensive effectivity numbers, the 2021-22 Jayhawks climbed all the way in which as much as seventeenth by season’s finish. The 2022-23 squad ought to begin nearer to that quantity. How excessive the Jayhawks climb shall be largely depending on how they defend down low. However their perimeter protection — particularly in the event that they play small — needs to be a power on Day 1.

Questions:

• What occurs inside? – It certain appears to be like like sophomore Zach Clemence goes to get the primary crack at beginning on the 5 for the Jayhawks and the desk seems to be set for a breakout season. Clemence, who is very aggressive and supremely gifted as an offensive participant, is hungrier than ever and what little expertise he gained by going alongside for the journey final season ought to assist him have a greater understanding of what the staff wants from him and what it takes to play large minutes as an enormous man. He’ll be pushed by each Udeh and Ejiofor, who’re athletic, explosive and versatile in their very own proper. Martin stays the wildcard right here, and the way a lot he performs probably shall be decided by how nicely he defends. That’s in all probability the case for all 4 KU large males. None of them might be labeled as true rim protectors, and all of them must embrace the bodily nature of enjoying down low to indicate the teaching workers that they deserve minutes. We might be taking a look at a committee method on the 5 within the early going. But when Clemence comes out of the gate on fireplace, he’s bought the very best probability of the bunch to seize the beginning nod and by no means give it up.

• 3-point capturing – There are proficient shooters on this roster, however they’re additionally changing some absolute marksmen. No single absence shall be extra vital to make up for than the power to switch what Ochai Agbaji might do as an outdoor shooter. Dick, Wilson, Rice, Clemence and even Harris, together with a number of others, all have the power to knock in pictures from the perimeter. However it stays to be seen if any of them can do it fairly in addition to Agbaji. Or Christian Braun, for that matter. These two first-round draft picks mixed to shoot 40% from 3-point vary final season, with Agbaji knocking in 103 3-pointers and Braun draining 51. No one else on the roster made greater than 30. Even Jalen Coleman-Lands (44.8%) and Remy Martin (38.2%) proved to be harmful 3-point shooters able to making some essential pictures. It’s subsequent man up in that division for these Jayhawks, and the way nicely they ship figures to play an enormous position in how good this staff might be.

• How will the younger guys deal with being hunted? – There’s a cause that Dick, Ejiofor, Rice and Udeh made up the No. 3-ranked recruiting class within the nation in accordance with Rivals.com. They’re all extremely proficient. However given the truth that all 4 of them might be enjoying key roles on subsequent season’s staff — and three of them definitely shall be — it stays a worthy query to marvel simply how nicely — and the way rapidly — they’ll alter to the school sport and the duty of defending a nationwide title. All 4 are aggressive, assured gamers who’ve been via loads of large moments. However enjoying in entrance of 16,300 followers at house evening in and evening out and drawing vicious roars from opposing followers on the street is a complete different animal than these guys are used to. All of them appear prepared for it. These challenges are literally a part of the rationale every got here to KU within the first place. However we gained’t know for certain how they carry out in these conditions till they’ve truly skilled it and the remainder of us have seen it.

Projected 2-deep lineup as of July 29, 2022:

PG – Dajuan Harris Jr. — Bobby Pettiford

• Harris is considered one of two no-brainer plug-ins when predicting this yr’s beginning 5

2G – Kevin McCullar Jr. — Joe Yesufu

• McCullar has the power to play 1 via 4 and Yesufu needs to be extra snug in 12 months 2

3G – Gradey Dick — MJ Rice

• I shuttle on this yet another than some other however Dick’s outdoors capturing typically appears to be the distinction

4 – Jalen Wilson — KJ Adams

• Wilson is the opposite simple and apparent selection at his place within the beginning 5, however I do assume KJ Adams will play a ton, maybe at 3 totally different positions

5 – Zach Clemence — Ernest Udeh Jr.

• It is Clemence’s spot to lose, however Udeh’s going to shock lots of people