KU Jayhawks’ David McCormack ‘played like a man’ vs. WVU. Here’s what should be next
David McCormack returned to the Kansas starting lineup Saturday after a four-game layoff.
And for the rest of his KU career — if healthy — he should never return to the bench.
KU is better with McCormack on the floor, a reality that was already the case even before Saturday’s standout effort in the Jayhawks’ 85-59 home victory over West Virginia.
“He played like a man,” KU coach Bill Self said about McCormack on his postgame radio show, “and we’ve got to bottle that.”
Sure, Self would love to see this Dave every game. McCormack had 19 points and 15 rebounds, scoring with efficiency while also creatively finding teammates to make KU’s offense better as a whole.
But here’s the truth: The numbers were already screaming that McCormack was the clear choice to take over starters’ minutes at the 5 spot, even if he can be maddening to watch at times.
The numbers at EvanMiya.com give the best look. The site’s “Bayesian Performance Rating” — or BPR for short — is considered one of the best all-encompassing individual measures in college basketball because of its depth. Not only does it take into account a player’s individual stats, but it also considers how well the team plays with him on the court and adjusts for schedule while taking out garbage time.
The question the stat is trying to answer: Which players on each team are projected to be the most impactful guys moving forward?
Before Saturday’s game, McCormack was the undeniable answer at center for KU. His BPR of 47.4 ranked third on the Jayhawks’ roster, behind only Ochai Agbaji and Christian Braun. That also was easily higher than the other big options available, including KJ Adams (sixth on team, 32.4), Zach Clemence (seventh, 28.6) and Mitch Lightfoot (11th, 13.3).
So why does the metric like McCormack so much? I asked Evan Miyakawa — the site’s founder and stat’s creator — to see what stood out to him.
The first thing was defense. McCormack had the best defensive BPR among KU’s top 10 rotation players while rating as the most impactful defender among that group. Though he doesn’t rim-protect like other KU big men of the past like Jeff Withey and Udoka Azubuike, McCormack has remained productive statistically, especially when it comes to steals and blocks considering the time he’s been on the court.
McCormack also appears to help teammates out as well. Miyakawa said entering Saturday, KU allowed an opponent-adjusted team defensive efficiency of 85.8 points per 100 possessions with McCormack on the court, compared to 99.9 for Lightfoot — a significant difference. Meanwhile, Adams’ numbers appeared strong in a small sample size, but he entered Saturday with only about 70 possessions played, which gives him a promising start but an incomplete grade.
Miyakawa examined deeper into lineup data to find that — despite his up-and-down reputation — McCormack seems to be a steadying force for KU. When he’s in, the Jayhawks appear to be more consistent no matter which five are on the court, while Lightfoot appears in both the top and the bottom lineup combinations when it comes to efficiency. Lightfoot’s good performance, then, seems more teammate-dependent.
Some of Self’s posturing before now was an attempt at motivation. In the first game McCormack didn’t start at Oklahoma State, for example, the big man responded with 17 points and 15 boards while seeming to relish in answering his coach’s challenge.
It’s mid-January now, though, and KU has made it well into Big 12 play. The time for tricks and games is over, especially for a coach like Self, who remains hyper-focused on winning each game while emphasizing the league race.
If Self wants to have his best lineup in there to win basketball games, that means McCormack needs to be on the court.
And there certainly will be moments where following through on that will be difficult.
McCormack’s greatest sin can be that his shortcomings are evident to all basketball observers. When he can’t catch a lob pass cleanly or fails to convert a layup, fans and coaches alike can pick up on it, leaving both parties to wonder what could’ve been after a setup was there for two easy points.
It takes patience and courage to see the rest of what’s going on. Because what McCormack also provides is some of the not-obvious stuff, like providing a big body in the lane to make opponents think twice about a layup attempt while also allowing KU to always single-team opposing post players, which helps the defense stay out of unnecessary rotation.
Saturday was an example. West Virginia made 13 of 45 two-pointers for 29%; many of those were tough tries, and quite a few more were attempted over McCormack. Though he only was credited with one block, McCormack’s presence seemed to be one of the most significant factors in pushing KU’s defense to a dominant home performance.
He’s also an elite offensive rebounder — now the second-best in the nation, according to KenPom — and has transitioned into a more willing passer in recent games while taking more pride in that facet.
The bottom line is that McCormack’s play can be frustrating at times. He’s hard on himself too, and his facial expressions and dejected looks in the moment aren’t doing him any favors when he already has so many eyes over-analyzing him on every play.
It’s the coaching staff’s job, though, to see through that sort of surface stuff.
KU’s defense is better with McCormack on the floor, and because of that, the team’s overall play has elevated as well.
The time for mind games should be over. McCormack needs to start each game the rest of the way — and play more minutes as a result — for one simple reason.
KU is best when he’s in.
This story was originally published January 15, 2022 at 8:29 PM with the headline "KU Jayhawks’ David McCormack ‘played like a man’ vs. WVU. Here’s what should be next."
