This KU Jayhawks’ storyline isn’t going as expected — but still is a reason for hope
The Kansas men’s basketball team’s path to “good but not great” status through two months has followed some storylines that could’ve been predicted.
KU has struggled some offensively while getting fewer easy baskets and playing through David McCormack. The Jayhawks also have taken a natural step back on the defensive end without the rim protection of Udoka Azubuike or perimeter quickness of Devon Dotson.
One development, though, would’ve shocked me two months ago: that Tyon Grant-Foster — one of the nation’s top juco recruits — would not log a single minute in KU’s game at Baylor on Jan. 18.
Grant-Foster has gone from ballyhooed to benched in short order. He’s played just four minutes combined in the Jayhawks’ last three games, with only one shot attempt and two turnovers over that period.
Calling his situation “unexpected” would be an understatement. Grant-Foster was considered a likely starter in the summer, with many around the program believing he had as good a shot as anyone of being the team’s leading scorer.
It simply hasn’t worked out ... yet. Grant-Foster has been both reckless and careless on the offensive end, while struggling with the transition from juco go-to scorer to high-major role player.
The good news for both him and KU is this: The story of the season hasn’t been written yet. Grant-Foster has two months to get back into Bill Self’s good graces, while the coaching staff has plenty of Big 12 games left to see if the guard’s confidence grows.
“He hasn’t done the things that I would’ve hoped he would do at this stage, and we’re certainly not giving up on him by any stretch,” Self said. “But we haven’t seen in practice what we’d like to maybe translate to the game at all, but that doesn’t mean he hasn’t done some things well in practice. It just means that the way that we play may not fit the way that maybe sometimes he’s done things well in practice.”
The translation here seems pretty simple. Grant-Foster still is playing as if he’s the primary scoring option, leading to some impressive scrimmage baskets but also unnecessary forced plays that the team doesn’t need from its third or fourth player off the bench.
Yet if we’re talking about KU potentially raising its ceiling from top-15-type team to top 10 or better ... the easiest path might simply be getting more out of Grant-Foster in the days and weeks ahead.
Self has often — correctly — labeled this KU team as one that has lacked both speed and athleticism. Grant-Foster, with additional playing time, would immediately improve both areas, with both those skills showing through in KU’s close win over North Dakota State on Dec. 5.
“I gotta get him out there. I want to get him out there. He deserves to be out there,” Self said Thursday. “But, just to be very candid with you, I think that we’re playing the guys that give us the best chance, the way things are going. But we hope that changes, because he would enhance our chances if we all felt like we were in tune with what we needed to do.”
It’s a tough balance for Self, no question. KU has lost two straight — something that doesn’t happen often — with a coin-flip game coming Saturday at Oklahoma. Self’s default mode is to focus primarily on the here and now, doing everything possible to win each individual game while giving his team the best chance at a Big 12 title and potential top NCAA Tournament seed.
This season, though, is just different. KU knows it will not win the Big 12 after a 4-3 league start, meaning a bit of extra attention can be focused on what will give KU its best chance to win in March.
The Jayhawks — barring a complete collapse — will be making the NCAA Tournament with their impressive résumé. And no matter the seed, they won’t have any home-court-type advantage, simply because this year’s setup places all postseason games in Indianapolis.
Self, then, has some extra wiggle room and additional opportunity for tinkering.
He’s recently talked about wanting to play faster. And wanting to score better in transition. And wanting to have a defense that can put more pressure on opponents.
Preaching those objectives can help some, but only so much. Another way to address the issues would be to give more run to the team’s most athletic players, and despite his struggles, Grant-Foster would rank among the top on that list.
What if KU, moving forward, could get 10 good minutes out of him per game? Or 15? How much could the team’s ceiling be raised if he simply could help a few starters get rest, while providing excellent defense and also rebounding activity on the offensive end?
That standard would’ve seemed too low a few months ago, yet it would be a huge development for the Jayhawks if it took place moving forward.
No, Grant-Foster isn’t likely to end this season where he or the coaches envisioned a few months ago.
That doesn’t mean he can’t help this team become better — with help from some blind trust that appears needed in the moment.
This story was originally published January 22, 2021 at 5:00 AM with the headline "This KU Jayhawks’ storyline isn’t going as expected — but still is a reason for hope."
