Why Bill Self’s ‘biggest concern’ might force KU to an early lineup change
Silvio De Sousa caught the pass at the top of the key ... and his defender ran away from him.
This was three minutes into Kansas’ 86-56 exhibition victory over Fort Hays State on Thursday night, and the moment accurately summed up one of the Jayhawks’ most pressing dilemmas entering coach Bill Self’s 17th season.
KU, right now, has a bit of an identity crisis.
And Self only has a couple weeks to figure a working formula before stepping into the national spotlight against Duke in the Champions Classic.
Let’s reset here. All offseason, the talk was about KU returning to big-man ball, utilizing the depth of De Sousa, Udoka Azubuike and David McCormack to overpower teams inside.
This all sounded great in theory. Self won with repeatedly with the same blueprint a decade ago, as his high-low schemes and big-to-big passes opened up easy shots at an unprecedented rate.
That method, though, didn’t work Thursday partly because of one reason: Fort Hays State didn’t guard De Sousa on the outside.
It’s easy to see from the earlier example. Self ran one of those sets he’s had in the playbook for all 17 years at KU, with De Sousa catching a pass up top and Azubuike fighting for position underneath.
Fort Hays State forward Jake Hutchens — a 6-foot-7 forward who was trailing De Sousa — took one shuffle toward him, then immediately realized he was going against the scouting report. The next steps he took were running back toward the basket and Azubuike.
Because De Sousa is not a threat to shoot a three or drive, the defense was just fine with him hanging out on the perimeter by himself.
This was just part of a frustrating day for Azubuike, who only was able to get up two field goal attempts with five total points.
“The problem we had is when we play two bigs and one can’t stretch it, the floor gets pretty crowded,” Self said. “They dared us to shoot it.”
KU actually adjusted well enough. The Jayhawks stopped turning it over after the first four minutes, finishing with seven giveaways. They also took the open three-pointers available, making 11 of 33.
But this still gets at the crux of a predicament for Self — one that should at the top of his mind over the next two weeks.
This question, above all, needs to be answered: Which personnel best fit Azubuike, the rare inside talent who was just named the Big 12’s preseason player of the year?
For one game (and yes, this was an exhibition against a small team that played a funky defense) the two-big look of De Sousa and Azubuike was not particularly effective.
“Bad start, and I didn’t think they helped each other much at all early,” Self said. “I thought (De Sousa) was certainly better late, but I didn’t think Silvio played to a really high energy or a real high athletic ability, and he’s got to improve on that.”
There was an even more glaring example later of the defense disrespecting De Sousa. In the final three minutes — playing alongside McCormack — De Sousa once again got it at the top of the circle, only to have his man sink back to the Big 12 logo in the middle of the lane.
In Self’s view, though, there are even more pressing headaches on the other end.
Fort Hays State — when KU played two bigs — put the Jayhawks in frequent conflict. They ran ball screens and forced KU’s forwards to the three-point line, which put them constantly in difficult situations.
“They made eight threes. I think our bigs gave up seven of them,” Self said. “That stuff we can hopefully improve on, or we’ll have to play four guards.”
And here’s where we get to the alternative that Self probably didn’t think he’d be considering this early.
Strip everything else away, and Azubuike is a good player, just like De Sousa and McCormack. Sort by recruiting ranking, and they’d no doubt be three of the top players on KU’s roster.
Basketball, though, is so much about fit. Azubuike, when he’s been dominant in the past, has done so when surrounded by four guards, left to roam the lane by himself while not having to share with another mammoth body.
Self can play that way this year if he wants. Freshman Jalen Wilson seems like an ideal candidate at the smallball 4 spot while seemingly big enough to guard the other team’s power forward.
Still ... that has to be a tough sell. Is it really the best way to go to have De Sousa and McCormack — two talented centers — scrapping for only a handful of minutes?
If De Sousa can’t do better defending the perimeter, Self said Thursday that he might not have another option.
“You’ve gotta guard a guard (to play the 4), and he doesn’t, or Doke doesn’t and David doesn’t,” Self said. “So we may be better off playing him at the 5 and playing David at the 5 and rotating those three guys, to be honest with you.”
Self would go on to say this is his team’s current “biggest concern.” Even if De Sousa and McCormack combine for one made three a game, it’s going to be a net loss for KU if the player they’re guarding hits four three-pointers against them.
“So those are the things that we’ve got to improve on,” Self said. “They’ve got to be able to defend on the perimeter. It’s really not their fault, because they’ve never really had to do it, but we’ve got to get good at that.”
Self is correct here. It’s not fair to blame De Sousa in this instance, or McCormack either.
Both are being asked to step out of their comfort zones to accommodate Azubuike, who has earned the right to be catered to based upon his previous production.
This is not going as well as Self would’ve hoped so far, while also leaving little time for an important early-season decision.
Does Self trust he can play big? Or does he switch it up and go small?
The only certainty appears to be this: Duke is less than two weeks away — and likely to punish KU for any failed experiments.
This story was originally published October 25, 2019 at 12:21 AM with the headline "Why Bill Self’s ‘biggest concern’ might force KU to an early lineup change."
