Kansas Jayhawks Q&A: On KU basketball’s rotation, Jalon Daniels’ return + the defense
There’s a high level of self-confidence among this KU basketball team. The Jayhawks are ranked No. 1 in the first AP Poll of the year.
“I like people knowing it because I want them to know we’re better than them,” Dickinson told ESPN at this week’s Big 12 media event in Kansas City.
Dickinson, of course, isn’t shy about speaking his mind. But it’s not just the Michigan transfer who’s confident about KU’s chances to win another league title.
A couple of his new teammates, Dajuan Harris and Kevin McCullar, were as confident as we’ve seen. For example, here’s what Harris said about the squad’s younger guys.
“Really, they are just trying to learn from the best,” he said. “We’ve got the best big, the best point guard and then we’ve got one of the best all-around players.”
That’s point guard Harris talking about himself, by the way.
Anyway, the Jayhawks will see if their play matches their level of confidence in the 2023-24 season opener against North Carolina Central on Nov. 6.
But for now, it’s time for another Kansas Jayhawks Q&A. As always, thank you for the questions!
Great question. I think Jackson ends up with the starting role ... but I wouldn’t be surprised if Timberlake gets the nod early in the season.
Assuming Jackson locks down the starting job, here’s how I see the rotation/minutes playing out:
Harris – 31 minutes per game
Jackson – 25
McCullar — 30
KJ Adams — 30
Hunter Dickinson — 30
Then, you have four players coming off the bench:
Timberlake — 18 minutes
Johnny Furphy — 15
Jamari McDowell — 9
Parker Braun — 10
If Daniels returns for OU, I think the Jayhawks will finish 3-2 in the last five games. KU wins against Iowa State, Texas Tech and Cincinnati and loses to K-State and OU. The K-State game will likely be a tossup.
I give KU’s chances for an undefeated season less than 5%. Their margin for error is too thin and this team will take some time to gel. There will also be some nights where KU is ice-cold from the perimeter.
Ideally, Daniels returns next week, when Kansas faces OU after this weekend’s bye. If he plays out this season, that’ll be five games, plus a likely bowl game.
Also, I think he’ll come back next season. Assuming he’s fully healthy and KU makes another bowl game, that will total 19 games.
I’m unsure what can be done at this point in the season.
It’s clear the defense has taken a big step forward, but the next step is transitioning from a bend-don’t-break unit to one with more consistency.
The Jayhawks have too often hit opposing players in the backfield and then failed to wrap them up. And OSU and Texas exploited a gap in skills between their top players and KU’s defense.
The Jayhawks must address that this offseason, either via the transfer portal or through internal improvement.
This story was originally published October 20, 2023 at 11:13 AM with the headline "Kansas Jayhawks Q&A: On KU basketball’s rotation, Jalon Daniels’ return + the defense."
