What Devon Dotson’s return means for Bill Self and KU basketball
Bill Self — somehow — pulled it off again.
The Kansas basketball coach, known as an excellent spring recruiter, found a new and creative way to restock his Jayhawks team for the upcoming season: He held onto nearly every player that was on the fence about leaving.
A final and crucial bit of good news broke for KU on Wednesday night: Point guard Devon Dotson will be returning to KU after initially testing the NBA Draft waters. That, combined with center Udoka Azubuike’s decision to come back last month, is enough to create optimism for Self and staff following a down-for-KU-standards 2018-19 season.
We’ll talk more about Quentin Grimes in a second, but here’s the reality following Dotson’s domino: The Jayhawks should enter next season with the highest of expectations. They should be considered the Big 12 favorite, both with Final Four aspirations and also a pair of players in the running for All-America honors.
Never has a late May day been so crucial for KU’s upcoming season. Because of an array of recruiting misses, including Precious Achiuwa and R.J. Hampton in recent weeks, the Jayhawks’ roster was more unsettled than ever at this point, with the team’s biggest question mark centering around the point guard position.
KU — with Azubuike, David McCormack, Mitch Lightfoot and the now-eligible Silvio De Sousa returning — was going to have a feared frontcourt. But had Dotson chosen to leave KU, the options at primary ball-handler were going to be slim, beginning with incoming freshman Issac McBride and extending to players like Marcus Garrett and Ochai Agbaji.
The Jayhawks, without Dotson, could have been a team with decent talent but a poor mix of pieces.
That changes with Dotson returning, as KU’s complementary guards now can play more to their strengths while not extending themselves on the ball; Dotson should take on that role for 36-plus minutes per game.
As for Grimes ... his deciding to pull out of the NBA Draft on Wednesday night while transferring away from KU appears to be all about fit.
Grimes, throughout his entire life, has played point guard, and he spoke earlier this month at the NBA Draft Combine about his desire to showcase those skills.
“I didn’t get to show my full capabilities at Kansas so I’m out here playing point guard,” Grimes said on May 17 at the combine. “Trying to do everything I do. Score the ball, get my teammates involved and make plays.”
With Dotson’s return, Grimes was not going to get the opportunity to be KU’s primary ball-handler, so a transfer here makes sense. Grimes will have to sit out a year if he continues on this path, but as a young prospect (turning just 19 this month), he still has time to rebuild his stock at a new school and shouldn’t be lacking for suitors as the highest-rated player to hit the transfer market.
As for Self, even with three scholarships still to give at this point, he appears to have both a strong starting five and solid bench behind that. This can change over time, but an early projection could look like this:
PG Devon Dotson
G Ochai Agbaji
G Marcus Garrett
PF Silvio De Sousa
C Udoka Azubuike
Bench: David McCormack, Tristan Enaruna, Mitch Lightfoot, Christian Braun, Issac McBride
With few options left on the recruiting trail — top-50 prospect Jalen Wilson is visiting Lawrence on Thursday — Self still is in a position where he can improve the roster while also feeling secure about what’s transpired so far.
If we’re being honest, Azubuike’s announcement still was KU’s biggest positive of the offseason. Because of the skillset he provides — dominating on both ends in some of the most team-controlled aspects of basketball — his decision to come back improved KU’s standing more than any player could have.
Dotson’s choice, though, adds quite a bit to KU’s ceiling.
That’s reflected in the numbers, even at this early stage. Dotson’s return boosted KU up 10 spots in Ken Pomeroy’s to-be-released preseason rankings, while Bart Torvik’s site had it pushing the Jayhawks from ninth to second.
Self talked extensively last season about working to adjust expectations after the team lost Azubuike to a season-ending injury and guard Lagerald Vick to a leave of absence. The coach didn’t want his guys’ expectations to dip, yet he knew deep down that with those departures, KU couldn’t compete on a national-type level like it had many past seasons.
With what’s occurred now, Self shouldn’t have to worry about settling in 2019-20. KU has the top two candidates for Big 12 player of the year and more-than-capable guys behind them — a roster that features both talent and experience.
It came about unconventionally. KU, in the past, has strengthened itself with late additions.
This team appears set for another reason.
It was able to limit subtractions.
This story was originally published May 29, 2019 at 11:32 PM with the headline "What Devon Dotson’s return means for Bill Self and KU basketball."
