What to expect this season

I don't recall a season where the minutes distribution was so up for grabs. Well really just for the 5th spot. It is hard to see a possibility where Harris, Dickinson, Adams and McCullar don't get lots of minutes. But that 5th spot is wide open. Timberlake has experience on his side but not at KU and not in the Big 12., His strength is shooting with no real differentiating skill beyond that. But shooting is pretty stinking critical. So if he lives up to hype and can shoot 45% from distance he will get lots of minutes even if there are better options on the defensive side of the ball. Morris slots in as the best defender, at least when his head is in the game. And he can rebound a little and slash a little. But his shooting has been a question and his consistency is maybe the biggest question. Coach Self HATES when players aren't 100%. So he is going to have to show he can play every possession with intensity. If his shooting improves and/or his defense lives up to the hype AND he proves to be a compliment play maker with Dajuan, I could see him getting the minutes. Then there is Elmarko Jackson. There have been some nice reports on this young man. He seems to have little bit of everything. He can be solid defensively, he can slash, he can shoot some, he can rebound and he can be a playmaker. But his big negative is he is a freshman. Experience matters. But with his overall upside, he could be the one to emerge with the 5th spot and the minutes. Then there is Johnny Furphy. This one is a little more of a longshot but then again, maybe not. I am not sure how much of a prototypical wing he is or if his college game will translate as a backup for Adams. He is 6'8". But the scuttlebutt is that he is indeed a wing even with some playmaking skills. If he can shoot (which I have not heard much about his ability) and with his length and assuming he can play the switching type of defense Self runs these days, he could very easily get the nod. But like Jackson, he is a freshman. I may be a little biased against freshmen and put too much emphasis on that but it is pretty big in my mind. A true impact freshman is somewhat rare. Mitch Lightfoot is an example where experience really trumps upside. No one will ever accuse Mitch of being uber talented or to have uber upside. But his intelligence and experience made him extremely effective and valuable even though he was optimally undersized and undertalented. So in conclusion, if I had to guess, I would have to roll the dice. Well, that's not entirely true. Something in my says Arterio Morris will emerge but that is a wild-assed-guess. We only have 10 players available as it stands and maybe 9 if Jamari McDowell redshirts.

Personally, I am really glad Zach came back. Surprised? Very. Happy? Yes. I think he is just an attitude and commitment to bulk up and get coached up on how to optimize his size away from being a very good player for KU. I am really surprised he wants to redshirt but he may end up being a Jeff Withey type redshirt. Leaps and bounds better the redshirt season.

Who will be the biggest surprise this season? I don;t think Dajuan will but I have pretty consistently underestimated Dajuan. But at this point he seems to be a known commodity. A very good and valuable commodity but known. He could end up surprise by scoring more but I'm not sure that is in the cards. Dickinson also is a known commodity and it is hard to surprise to the upside when the expectations are as lofty as they are for him. It is almost more likely he could surprise to the downside if doesn't average 20 points, 10 rebounds, 4 blocks and 3 assists. Adams was a huge surprise last season. He struggled often only because he was up against great competition regularly who was 3, 4 or 5 inches bigger. But what a season he had. He is just a great kid and a fan favorite for sure. And his athleticism, while not flashy is that sort of slightly smaller Udoka-esque athleticism. Strength and quickness rather than outrageous hops, although he can hop for sure. Rumors are swirling he is working super hard on his jump shot and even a pull-up jumper. With the brilliance we have with Coach Self and the rest of the staff, Adams is in the perfect place this season. He will have a new role but my gosh, how ideal is it to play along side a Dajuan Harris at the point and a post like Hunter Dickinson. I can see a path where KJ makes an even bigger leap this season than last. He is going to have to truly develop a jumper and also have the normal improvement in all other aspects of his game. But he seems super coachable and it is situations like the combination of individual talent we have this season where having the best coach in the game is going to pay huge dividends. KJ could be the big surprise this season. McCullar is this season's version of Ochai, Jalen and Christian. That last season where the intensity and commitment peaks out. I fully expect McCullar to have an outstanding season. But like Hunter, the expectations are high so surprising to the upside will be hard. But if McCullar. just lives up to expectations he could be team MVP potentially. That is how important he will be to this team.

As for Elmarko, Timberlake, Furphy or Arterio, my expectations are moderate, so any of those guys who emerge as anything other than a solid contributor could make them the surprise of the season.

As I said above, this type of team is almost the perfect setup for playing into Bill Self and Co's strength. There are plenty of teams with close to equal talent or possibly even more individual talent. But no one has the coaching staff to mold the team into a effective unit like Self. Especially when you have 9 players where each is unique with different strengths and weaknesses. I am excited to see how this season shakes out.

Good analysis. No mention of Parker Braun? He will be important if Hunter is injured or in foal trouble. I think the biggest unknown is Furphy. His late arrival does not help him but if KJ is needed at the 5, on occasions, or is in foul difficulty, Furphy will be important. I do expect him to be the #9 or #10 option unless her surprises us. His style of play reminds me of Jalen Wilson. Better ups, poorer in other regards, however.

Oi Oi Oi

He surprises us. Ugh!

www2.ljworld.com/sports/2023/aug/22/he-j...rom-the-ku-freshman/

Interesting interview with his Australian coach.

Murphy for Furphy!