Now that the roster is basically complete, I've spent a little time thinking about what the starting 5 will look like, in my opinion, when the season starts. My guess is, Bill Self rolls out these five guys when the 2023-24 season kicks off. I've also provided a breakdown of games played/games started with each player
STARTING 5:
Dajuan Harris, Jr. (106/77)
Kevin McCullar, Jr. (112/82)
Nicolas Timberlake (122/90)
KJ Adams, Jr. (73/37)
Hunter Dickinson (94/89)
OFF THE BENCH:
To me, this is where things have the potential to get tricky. I believe that guys like Atrerio Morris, Elmarko Jackson, Marcus Adams, Jr., and Parker Braun will have the opportunity to play different roles for Kansas this season. Obviously, I believe that Morris, Jackson, and Braun (due to his experience and size) will likely be the guys off the bench that play the biggest roles. Morris has a chance to be a very special player, the staff absolutely loves Jackson, and Braun can provide some much-needed size and experience. If there is foul trouble or different types of matchups on the court, Self has a reliable big man to bring off the bench. The fact that I didn't mention Chris Johnson or Jamari McDowell doesn't mean anything right now. However, we all know that Self isn't going to play guys just to play them. I can't see him playing more than 8 or 9 guys on a regular basis. I think we can all agree that Harris, Jr., McCullar, Jr., Timberlake, Adams, Jr., Dickinson, Morris, Braun, and Jackson will likely play the biggest roles this season. I think Marcus has a chance to play some as well, but I think it will take time, especially since he's graduating a year early, to make an impact.
If I'm being honest here, I've got no idea what to expect from Chris Johnson and Jamari McDowell. I don't know this for sure, but I'm guessing Johnson's time at Montverde didn't play out as he expected. I'm not sure if it was the best fit or if he just never got comfortable, but I firmly believe that he's a much better player than what he showed at Montverde.
Arterio Morris (38/0)
Parker Braun (110/65 -- Santa Clara and Missouri)
Elmarko Jackson (NA)
Marcus Adams, Jr. (NA)
STARTING 5:
Dajuan Harris, Jr. (106/77)
Kevin McCullar, Jr. (112/82)
Nicolas Timberlake (122/90)
KJ Adams, Jr. (73/37)
Hunter Dickinson (94/89)
OFF THE BENCH:
To me, this is where things have the potential to get tricky. I believe that guys like Atrerio Morris, Elmarko Jackson, Marcus Adams, Jr., and Parker Braun will have the opportunity to play different roles for Kansas this season. Obviously, I believe that Morris, Jackson, and Braun (due to his experience and size) will likely be the guys off the bench that play the biggest roles. Morris has a chance to be a very special player, the staff absolutely loves Jackson, and Braun can provide some much-needed size and experience. If there is foul trouble or different types of matchups on the court, Self has a reliable big man to bring off the bench. The fact that I didn't mention Chris Johnson or Jamari McDowell doesn't mean anything right now. However, we all know that Self isn't going to play guys just to play them. I can't see him playing more than 8 or 9 guys on a regular basis. I think we can all agree that Harris, Jr., McCullar, Jr., Timberlake, Adams, Jr., Dickinson, Morris, Braun, and Jackson will likely play the biggest roles this season. I think Marcus has a chance to play some as well, but I think it will take time, especially since he's graduating a year early, to make an impact.
If I'm being honest here, I've got no idea what to expect from Chris Johnson and Jamari McDowell. I don't know this for sure, but I'm guessing Johnson's time at Montverde didn't play out as he expected. I'm not sure if it was the best fit or if he just never got comfortable, but I firmly believe that he's a much better player than what he showed at Montverde.
Arterio Morris (38/0)
Parker Braun (110/65 -- Santa Clara and Missouri)
Elmarko Jackson (NA)
Marcus Adams, Jr. (NA)
