Devonte’ Graham one of many pieces of talented KU basketball backcourt

OK, the comparison might sound a little wild the first time you hear it, so let Bill Self explain.

This was late last week, and Self was talking about his latest Kansas team, a blend of solid returners and heralded freshmen that will attempt to win the Jayhawks’ 11th straight Big 12 title. Somebody mentions freshman point guard Devonte’ Graham, and Self said this:

“Reminds me of Aaron Miles.”

Yes, that would be the Miles that started as a freshman, helped Kansas to Final Fours in 2002 and 2003 and finished his career as the Big 12’s career assists leader. So yeah, no pressure, Devonte’.

“He’s going to be a hard guy to keep out of the lineup,” Self continued. “He’s a little bit older. He’s a great leader. He’s probably as popular as any student is on campus. I mean, everybody knows him. Everybody likes him.”

If there’s been one theme during the Jayhawks’ first week of official practice, it’s been Self’s praise of Graham, a 6-foot-2 guard who spent last season at Brewster Academy in Wolfeboro, N.H., the same prep school that produced former Kansas players Thomas Robinson and Naadir Tharpe.

“I think he’s more ready to play right now than any freshman point guard we’ve signed in a while,” Self said this week.

So take that into consideration, but remember it’s still early October. Because as Kansas prepares for its annual “Late Night in the Phog” festivities on Friday night, there’s another storyline emerging: The Jayhawks are so deep in the backcourt, that even Self isn’t quite sure who will end up earning the major minutes.

“To be quite candid,” Self said, “it’s a coin flip.”

More specifically, Self counts junior power forward Perry Ellis as a lock to start in the frontcourt. But the other four starting spots — including three in the backcourt — could come down to preseason performance. Sophomore guard Wayne Selden Jr., who started every game last season, appears to be a favorite to start at the two. But to this point, Self says, Selden hasn’t played up to potential in practice.

“I wouldn’t say Wayne’s been his best so far,” Self said.

Look at the roster, and you can see all the moving parts and potential combinations in the backcourt. Graham, for instance, is battling with sophomores Frank Mason and Conner Frankamp for minutes at point guard. But after last season’s documented issues at point guard (and the offseason exit of Tharpe), Self has stated that he wants to find ways to keep two ballhandlers on the floor at once.

“I don’t know what the norm is going to be yet,” Self said, “but I would say in a perfect world, we need more ballhandling. We need more playmaking.”

The idea, Self says, is to balance the point-guard burden on the shoulders of multiple players — not just one — and allow players such as Mason the freedom to be more creative in the offense. Tharpe struggled last season while handling the primary point-guard duties, while Mason and Frankamp suffered through the usual freshman adjustments.

“Last year, I just had a lot on my shoulders as a freshman, just making sure everybody was doing the right thing,” Mason said. “This year, we’ll have a couple guys in with me, where it’s not just me bringing the ball up … and I can just run the lanes sometime.”

If that proves to be the case, the competition among Kansas’ slew of bigger wings could be even tighter. Sophomore Brannen Greene returns after seeing limited time last season, while Kelly Oubre Jr., a 6-foot-7 McDonald’s All-American, figures to be a force on the wing. There is also a young wild card from the Ukraine in Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk, a 6-foot-8 guard who spent August playing against pros in the FIBA World Cup. Mykhailiuk, who turned 17 in June, could potentially be a high school junior based on age. But his skill set and experience, Self says, far exceeds his youth.

“We talk about the things he may be lacking with because of his age,” Self said. “Well, he’s the only one that’s been out there playing against 28- and 30-year-olds consistently.”

Self has discussed using a four-guard lineup at times, playing either Greene or Oubre at the four spot. But one thing is clear: Self has a history of keeping his backcourt rotation at four or five players — and that means a minutes crunch for the Jayhawks’ seven perimeter players.

Who will play? It’s too early to know for sure. But if Self’s recent praise of Graham is any indication, at least one freshman could be difficult to keep off the floor.

“He has intangibles; he’s an athlete,” Self said. “He’s exciting for me, because of all the guys we recruited, he would be the least publicized one, but he probably has the best feel of what’s going on of anybody.”

This story was originally published October 8, 2014 at 2:21 PM with the headline "Devonte’ Graham one of many pieces of talented KU basketball backcourt."