-Matt Cox

Key Returners: Ochai Agbaji, Jalen Wilson, David McCormack, Christian Braun, Dajuan Harris, Mitch Lightfoot
Key Losses: Marcus Garrett
Key Newcomers: Remy Martin (Arizona State), Joseph Yusefu (Drake), Jalen Coleman-Lands (Iowa State), Cam Martin (D-II), Bobby Pettiford, Zach Clemence, KJ Adams

Lineup:

Outlook: Imagine ONLY winning one conference title in a three-year span. I guess it’s back to the drawing board for Bill Self and company…

The Jayhawks mostly avoided the ‘blue blood plague’ that struck the likes of Duke and Kentucky last year but there were still plenty of bumps in the road. The offense was the main source of frustration. It became clear early on that Marcus Garrett’s offensive development had reached a plateau. While he started to turn it on late in the year, he just never seemed comfortable in that primary creator role.

Devoid of a reliable perimeter catalyst, the Jayhawks’ offense was concentrated in Ochai Agbaji, Jalen Wilson, and David McCormack’s production. Wilson, despite a blistering start in the non-con, had his ebbs and flows from January onward. McCormack’s season followed the opposite trajectory, stumbling out of the gate before flipping the switch in conference play. Agbaji was probably the steadiest contributor from start to finish, but there was still something off. For much of the year, the Jayhawks’ scoring attack was stuck in 2nd gear. 

Self longed for that missing element of gamebreaking guard play last seen with Frank Mason and Devonte Graham during the 2016-2018 run. Naturally, Self went digging through the portal and found himself two potential Mason / Graham imposters: Remy Martin and Joseph Yesufu.

In an offseason report by KUSports.com, Yesufu discussed how Self and the coaching staff made those same comparisons to prestigious KU alums in the recruiting pitch: 

“I have a bunch of similarities to previous guys, and he wants that back in his program,” Yesufu related, adding that Self and KU’s coaches would like to see him emulate former standout point guards Devon Dotson, Frank Mason III and Sherron Collins. 

It’ll be a logjam for minutes on the perimeter, but a Martin / Yesufu co-op could break down so many of the barriers that inhibited KU’s offense last season. Both were ball dominant floor generals at their prior destinations, but their versatile skillsets will enable a seamless transition into Self’s broader “lead guard” prototype. Above all, the two maestros are fearless rim attackers and crafty creators off the bounce, a dimension sorely missing from last year’s unit. This year, the Jayhawks will boast not one but two of the best downhill drivers in college basketball. 

If Martin and Yesufu can peacefully co-exist, their collective dynamism will put everyone else in their comfort zone. Agbaji, along with fellow swingman Christian Braun, can lock in on drilling catch-and-shoot threes generated from Martin and Yesufu’s penetration. That’s not to say Agbaji and Braun can’t put it on the deck themselves. Rather, they operate best as ‘shoot first, drive second’, opportunistic slashers on the wing.

The diverted defensive attention toward Martin and Yesufu will also benefit McCormack, particularly in pick-n-roll. The big man should feast on additional lob chances as a PnR dance partner with the Martin / Yesufu duo. Last year, McCormack was largely pigeonholed into a back-to-the-basket threat, as help-side defenses were able to clog the lane whenever McCormack would dive to the goal. Plus, since Garrett was hesitant to shoot off the dribble, the point of attack defender could simply sag off and further cramp the middle. Martin and Yesufu will make defenses pay for following that same script this year, which should in turn soften up the belly of the defense for McCormack to operate.

However, consider the potential downsides associated with a Martin / Yesufu co-pilot scheme:

• Deploying them in tandem for large stretches comes at the expense Braun, Agbaji or Wilson’s minutes. It also limits opportunities for bench hopefuls, such as the streaky shooting Jalen Coleman-Lands, glue guard Dajuan Harris and three rookie hopefuls, Bobby Pettiford, KJ Adams, and Kyle Cuffe Jr.. In short, there’s a lot of mouths to feed at the guard and wing spots.

• Also, Self may not want to deviate from the long, wing-laden lineups that laid the foundation for last year’s stingy defense, which was downright dominant in conference play. The jury is still out on Martin and Yesufu as individual defenders but it’s safe to assume they’ll be a fraction of Marcus Garrett. For what it’s worth (perhaps nothing), neither Arizona State nor Drake ranked in the top-100 in KenPom’s overall defensive rankings last year.

• On the other end, Martin and Yesufu’s smaller frames, specifically height, could hinder their efficiency as scorers inside the arc. At 6’0, Martin, and especially Yesufu, love to use that vintage teardrop floater from 5-8 feet out to score over longer defenders. However, top-notch frontlines have bothered the smaller Martin and Yesufu historically. Though not an ideal proxy, look at the splits between Martin and Yesufu’s career shooting percentages in all games versus “Tier A” competition (top-50 to top-100 caliber teams, depending on game location) as defined by KenPom.

Ultimately, am I worried about all this? Nah, not really. 

The distinguishing trait I love most about this group, particularly among the returners, is *cliché alert* maturity.

“We’ve got some good young kids but the the majority of our guys, I mean Jalen Wilson would be a pup and he started basically every game for us last year. We are as old as we’ve been in a long time,” Self told the Kansas City star this week.

Another way to put it, to quote an often used ‘Bill Simmons-ism’, this team has a bunch of adults in the room. Despite some of the offensive hiccups last year, wasted possessions due to selfish hero ball episodes are few and far between. In the thread below, HeatCheck’s Riley Davis captured a few instances of this chemistry in action:

McCormack took this ‘sharing is caring’ mantra to heart, especially down the stretch, as he slowly blossomed into a brilliant interior passer – in fact, Marcus Garrett was the only Jayhawk to post a higher assist rate in conference play. There wasn’t one specific moment or game when McCormack had this epiphany, but the gains were slow and steady. Once the rust from an early season injury wore off, he was a force to be reckoned with. 

Mitch Lightfoot is back, again, to serve as McCormack’s platoon partner off the pine. Top-100 prospect Zach Clemence and D-II signee Cam Martin face an uphill climb to consistent playing time this year, proof of the abundance of riches Self has at his disposal. At 6’9 Martin’s an intriguing piece, regarded as a lights out shooter with range. 

Bottom Line: The 2022 roster has a sort of throwback feel to it. Never mind the lack of dazzling NBA prospects. Balance, depth, and experience are plentiful, and we’ve witnessed Self churn such ingredients into national title contenders before. But let’s not put the cart before the horse – there’s still an empty nook in the Phog Allen rafters reserved for last year’s Big-12 banner waiting to be filled.