Well, that first game against Puerto Rico wasn’t much of a challenge at all for Kansas. Bill Self’s squad cruised to an easy victory, 106-71 and never trailed the entire game. There were certainly a number of performances that stood out on Thursday afternoon.
-- First, Arterio Morris was the best player on the court against Puerto Rico. In all, Morris scored a game-high 20 points, dished out six assists, and tallied two steals (felt like more than that) in 20 minutes of action. For the game, Morris shot 8-of-12 from the field, 3-of-5 from behind the arc, and was perfect (1-of-1) from the free-throw line. There is plenty to love about Morris when it comes to his game. Yes, his shot from behind the arc was on against Puerto Rico, but I love his ability to get to the basket and the swagger that he plays with.
If he plays like he’s capable of playing, Morris isn’t going to be around long at Kansas. I know that he’s got some issues going on off the court, but in all of my dealings with Arterio, he’s been nothing but kind, caring, and polite. I think he’s quickly going to emerge as a fan favorite.
-- KJ Adams, Jr., is going to prove a lot of people wrong this season. Once again, he was a star on the court against Puerto Rico. In 25 minutes of action, Adams, Jr., scored 19 points, pulled down four rebounds, and dished out two assists. Offensively, Adams, Jr., shot 7-of-10 from the field, 1-of-2 from behind the arc, and was 4-of-4 from the free-throw line. During his postgame interview with Brian Hanni and Greg Gurley, Adams, Jr., said that he plans to shoot more of those this season, but he’s going to focus on making sure the guys that shoot a better percentage are getting the best looks from behind the arc.
Listen, KJ Adams, Jr., is what he is. With Hunter Dickison in the lineup, it's going to allow Adams, Jr., to slide over to the power forward spot and play his position. I know that he’s been working on his shot and all of that, but he’s so good around the basket, especially when it comes to cutting to the rim for dunks. Love his game and think he’s going to have another big season for Self and Kansas.
-- I’m sure Hunter Dickinson didn’t have the debut he wanted and I’m sure many of you feel the same, but I would ask everybody to calm down (if you’re in panic mode) and wait for the regular season to start. Against Puerto Rico, Dickinson, in 21 minutes, scored 13 points, pulled down six rebounds, dished out three assists, and was credited with one steal. Overall, he was 6-of-13 from the field, 0-1 from behind the arc, and 1-of-2 from the free-throw line.
Had it not been for a handful (that’s what it felt like) of missed layups, Dickinson would have easily scored 20 points or more. He’s playing with a new team, it’s a new system, and it's August 3.
I’m still willing to bet that Dickinson is going to be an All-American and one of the best players in college basketball.
-- Elmarko Jackson had it going on against Puerto Rico on Thursday. KU’s freshman guard chipped in 13 points, pulled down one rebound, and dished out two assists in 19 minutes of action. Offensively, Jackson shot 4-of-6 from the field, 3-of-4 from behind the arc, and 2-of-2 from the free-throw line. Much like Arterio Morris, I don’t expect Jackson to be around long. He just looks like he belongs on the court and has a certain confidence/swagger about himself. Whether scoring from behind the arc, pulling up for the midrange jump shot, or getting to the cup, Jackson has the ability to score from all three levels.
Jackson, with Dajuan Harris, Arterio Morris, and Elmarko Jackson in the backcourt, will absolutely terrorize opposing backcourts this season. Against Puerto Rico, Kansas was credited with 15 steals, but it felt like more.
-- Offensively, Dajuan Harris, Jr., wasn’t much of a factor, in terms of scoring the ball, but he didn’t need to be on Thursday afternoon. Harris, Jr., in 21 minutes of action, scored two points, dished out nine assists, committed just one turnover, and was credited with four steals. Against Puerto Rico, Harris, Jr., was a combined 0-of-6 from the field and 2-of-2 from the free-throw line, but did an amazing job setting his teammates up on the offensive end of the court and creating havoc on the defensive end of the court.
If there’s one player that I’m not ever going to worry about on this squad, it's Harris, Jr. We all know how good he is, especially in setting up teammates and on the defensive end of the court. With so many weapons on the team this year, things will eventually open up for Harris, Jr.
For Harris, Jr., his main goal is setting the tone as the point guard and leading this team. I’m not sure there is another point guard capable of playing “this role” as well as Dajuan Harris, Jr.
-- I absolutely saw a different Zach Clemence on the court today. It was interesting, too, because, after the game, Self said that Zach Clemence is “probably” going to redshirt this next season. Well, against Puerto Rico, Clemence, in nine minutes, scored eight points and pulled down three rebounds. Overall, Clemence shot 3-of-7 from the field and 2-of-5 from behind the arc. There was just something different about his performance. Maybe he’s playing with less pressure on his shoulders, or maybe he’s just playing and not thinking.
During the broadcast, Greg Gurley said that Zach Clemence scored a combined 59 points in two scrimmages before the team left for Puerto Rico. If you ask me, everything that happened during his time at Kansas, and then the decision to transfer out, only to return, might have been a good thing for Clemence.
There’s no doubt that he’s got a chance to be a really good player.
-- I’m excited to see how Nicolas Timberlake develops moving forward this season. Against Puerto Rico, Timberlake, in 20 minutes, scored eight points, pulled down four rebounds, dished out three assists, and was credited with three steals. For the game, Timberlake connected on 3-of-6 field goals and was 2-of-4 from behind the arc. There’s no doubt in my mind that he’s going to hit some big shots for Kansas this season.
-- Lastly, Kevin McCullar, Jr., did a little bit of everything on Thursday afternoon. In 22 minutes of action, he scored nine points, pulled down seven rebounds, dished out two assists, was credited with one steal, and one block.
On the offensive end of the court, McCullar, Jr., was just 4-of-9 from the field and 1-of-4 from behind the arc. I think if he’s going to reach his maximum potential and if Kansas is going to make a run at a third National Championship under Self, McCullar, Jr., is gonna have to improve his three-point field goal shooting percentage. I think that’s the one thing holding him back from really being a difference-maker on both ends of the court.
-- First, Arterio Morris was the best player on the court against Puerto Rico. In all, Morris scored a game-high 20 points, dished out six assists, and tallied two steals (felt like more than that) in 20 minutes of action. For the game, Morris shot 8-of-12 from the field, 3-of-5 from behind the arc, and was perfect (1-of-1) from the free-throw line. There is plenty to love about Morris when it comes to his game. Yes, his shot from behind the arc was on against Puerto Rico, but I love his ability to get to the basket and the swagger that he plays with.
If he plays like he’s capable of playing, Morris isn’t going to be around long at Kansas. I know that he’s got some issues going on off the court, but in all of my dealings with Arterio, he’s been nothing but kind, caring, and polite. I think he’s quickly going to emerge as a fan favorite.
-- KJ Adams, Jr., is going to prove a lot of people wrong this season. Once again, he was a star on the court against Puerto Rico. In 25 minutes of action, Adams, Jr., scored 19 points, pulled down four rebounds, and dished out two assists. Offensively, Adams, Jr., shot 7-of-10 from the field, 1-of-2 from behind the arc, and was 4-of-4 from the free-throw line. During his postgame interview with Brian Hanni and Greg Gurley, Adams, Jr., said that he plans to shoot more of those this season, but he’s going to focus on making sure the guys that shoot a better percentage are getting the best looks from behind the arc.
Listen, KJ Adams, Jr., is what he is. With Hunter Dickison in the lineup, it's going to allow Adams, Jr., to slide over to the power forward spot and play his position. I know that he’s been working on his shot and all of that, but he’s so good around the basket, especially when it comes to cutting to the rim for dunks. Love his game and think he’s going to have another big season for Self and Kansas.
-- I’m sure Hunter Dickinson didn’t have the debut he wanted and I’m sure many of you feel the same, but I would ask everybody to calm down (if you’re in panic mode) and wait for the regular season to start. Against Puerto Rico, Dickinson, in 21 minutes, scored 13 points, pulled down six rebounds, dished out three assists, and was credited with one steal. Overall, he was 6-of-13 from the field, 0-1 from behind the arc, and 1-of-2 from the free-throw line.
Had it not been for a handful (that’s what it felt like) of missed layups, Dickinson would have easily scored 20 points or more. He’s playing with a new team, it’s a new system, and it's August 3.
I’m still willing to bet that Dickinson is going to be an All-American and one of the best players in college basketball.
-- Elmarko Jackson had it going on against Puerto Rico on Thursday. KU’s freshman guard chipped in 13 points, pulled down one rebound, and dished out two assists in 19 minutes of action. Offensively, Jackson shot 4-of-6 from the field, 3-of-4 from behind the arc, and 2-of-2 from the free-throw line. Much like Arterio Morris, I don’t expect Jackson to be around long. He just looks like he belongs on the court and has a certain confidence/swagger about himself. Whether scoring from behind the arc, pulling up for the midrange jump shot, or getting to the cup, Jackson has the ability to score from all three levels.
Jackson, with Dajuan Harris, Arterio Morris, and Elmarko Jackson in the backcourt, will absolutely terrorize opposing backcourts this season. Against Puerto Rico, Kansas was credited with 15 steals, but it felt like more.
-- Offensively, Dajuan Harris, Jr., wasn’t much of a factor, in terms of scoring the ball, but he didn’t need to be on Thursday afternoon. Harris, Jr., in 21 minutes of action, scored two points, dished out nine assists, committed just one turnover, and was credited with four steals. Against Puerto Rico, Harris, Jr., was a combined 0-of-6 from the field and 2-of-2 from the free-throw line, but did an amazing job setting his teammates up on the offensive end of the court and creating havoc on the defensive end of the court.
If there’s one player that I’m not ever going to worry about on this squad, it's Harris, Jr. We all know how good he is, especially in setting up teammates and on the defensive end of the court. With so many weapons on the team this year, things will eventually open up for Harris, Jr.
For Harris, Jr., his main goal is setting the tone as the point guard and leading this team. I’m not sure there is another point guard capable of playing “this role” as well as Dajuan Harris, Jr.
-- I absolutely saw a different Zach Clemence on the court today. It was interesting, too, because, after the game, Self said that Zach Clemence is “probably” going to redshirt this next season. Well, against Puerto Rico, Clemence, in nine minutes, scored eight points and pulled down three rebounds. Overall, Clemence shot 3-of-7 from the field and 2-of-5 from behind the arc. There was just something different about his performance. Maybe he’s playing with less pressure on his shoulders, or maybe he’s just playing and not thinking.
During the broadcast, Greg Gurley said that Zach Clemence scored a combined 59 points in two scrimmages before the team left for Puerto Rico. If you ask me, everything that happened during his time at Kansas, and then the decision to transfer out, only to return, might have been a good thing for Clemence.
There’s no doubt that he’s got a chance to be a really good player.
-- I’m excited to see how Nicolas Timberlake develops moving forward this season. Against Puerto Rico, Timberlake, in 20 minutes, scored eight points, pulled down four rebounds, dished out three assists, and was credited with three steals. For the game, Timberlake connected on 3-of-6 field goals and was 2-of-4 from behind the arc. There’s no doubt in my mind that he’s going to hit some big shots for Kansas this season.
-- Lastly, Kevin McCullar, Jr., did a little bit of everything on Thursday afternoon. In 22 minutes of action, he scored nine points, pulled down seven rebounds, dished out two assists, was credited with one steal, and one block.
On the offensive end of the court, McCullar, Jr., was just 4-of-9 from the field and 1-of-4 from behind the arc. I think if he’s going to reach his maximum potential and if Kansas is going to make a run at a third National Championship under Self, McCullar, Jr., is gonna have to improve his three-point field goal shooting percentage. I think that’s the one thing holding him back from really being a difference-maker on both ends of the court.
