Hey all,
Obviously, this was a 15-minute scrimmage and I'm not sure you can really take anything away from tonight's performance. Still, here are a few thoughts from the scrimmage that caught my attention after looking at the box score.
-- Team Crimson and Team Blue combined to hit just 5-of-26 shots from behind the arc. Again, tonight's scrimmage will look nothing like the Kansas team that takes the court to open up the season. Still, this has been an area of discussion the entire off-season. Kansas likely has the best big man in college basketball, but they've also got some guys who are more than capable of hitting shots from behind the arc. However, who will step up and emerge as KU's most productive scorers from behind the arc during the season?
-- Hunter Dickinson absolutely has to be the player that everybody expected when he made the decision to transfer to Kansas from Michigan. Dickinson was the most player in the portal and Kansas, with Self leading the way, put the fullcourt press on the elite big man. He's the type of player who has the ability to come in and average 20 points and 12 rebounds per game for Kansas. He's going to get the touches and he'll be given every opportunity to have the type of season that everybody expects. I think the biggest thing for Hunter, without question, will not get sped up and force things early on. Hunter just needs to play his game and let everything come to him.
-- Speaking of three-point shooting, Kevin McCullar, Jr., Dajun Harris, Jr., and Nicolas Timberlake are three players who will have to be successful from behind the arc this season. I expect other guys to step up at different times this season, but McCullar, Harris, and Timberlake will need to lead the way offensively from behind the arc. We know that Harris is going to get a lot of open looks from three. Until he emerges as a threat from three, teams are going to leave him open and not force him to shoot.
--- I expect KJ Adams, Jr., to have the type of season that he did a year ago, and guys like Elmarko Jackson and Johnny Furphy to play major roles this season. Hunter Dickinson, Dajuan Harris, Nicolas Timberlake, KJ Adams, Jr., Johnny Furphy, Elmarko Jackson, and Kevin McCullar, Jr., are the guys that I expect to play significant minutes. Jamari McDowell, Parker Braun, and a few others will battle for minutes at different times this season. Self isn't going to play more than eight guys on a regular basis. He'll have a group of guys he'll lean on and then a small group that will battle for minutes at different stages of the season or each game.
Obviously, this was a 15-minute scrimmage and I'm not sure you can really take anything away from tonight's performance. Still, here are a few thoughts from the scrimmage that caught my attention after looking at the box score.
-- Team Crimson and Team Blue combined to hit just 5-of-26 shots from behind the arc. Again, tonight's scrimmage will look nothing like the Kansas team that takes the court to open up the season. Still, this has been an area of discussion the entire off-season. Kansas likely has the best big man in college basketball, but they've also got some guys who are more than capable of hitting shots from behind the arc. However, who will step up and emerge as KU's most productive scorers from behind the arc during the season?
-- Hunter Dickinson absolutely has to be the player that everybody expected when he made the decision to transfer to Kansas from Michigan. Dickinson was the most player in the portal and Kansas, with Self leading the way, put the fullcourt press on the elite big man. He's the type of player who has the ability to come in and average 20 points and 12 rebounds per game for Kansas. He's going to get the touches and he'll be given every opportunity to have the type of season that everybody expects. I think the biggest thing for Hunter, without question, will not get sped up and force things early on. Hunter just needs to play his game and let everything come to him.
-- Speaking of three-point shooting, Kevin McCullar, Jr., Dajun Harris, Jr., and Nicolas Timberlake are three players who will have to be successful from behind the arc this season. I expect other guys to step up at different times this season, but McCullar, Harris, and Timberlake will need to lead the way offensively from behind the arc. We know that Harris is going to get a lot of open looks from three. Until he emerges as a threat from three, teams are going to leave him open and not force him to shoot.
--- I expect KJ Adams, Jr., to have the type of season that he did a year ago, and guys like Elmarko Jackson and Johnny Furphy to play major roles this season. Hunter Dickinson, Dajuan Harris, Nicolas Timberlake, KJ Adams, Jr., Johnny Furphy, Elmarko Jackson, and Kevin McCullar, Jr., are the guys that I expect to play significant minutes. Jamari McDowell, Parker Braun, and a few others will battle for minutes at different times this season. Self isn't going to play more than eight guys on a regular basis. He'll have a group of guys he'll lean on and then a small group that will battle for minutes at different stages of the season or each game.
