Kansas Jayhawks: Is the Good Kelly Oubre Here to Stay

At the beginning of this season for the Kansas Jayhawks, we (barely) saw what was just a shell of a McDonald’s All-American in Kelly Oubre Jr. He wasn’t getting minutes because he just wasn’t performing well. Both in practice and in games, he was just not what he was hyped up to be coming into the season.

Some of his teammates were taking his minutes including Wayne Selden, Branden Greene, and even the 17-year-old freshman Svi Mykhaylyuk, who to be fair, playing very well. All three of these guys were out-performing Oubre in practice, and as we all know, Coach Self gives minutes to the guys who prove themselves in practice.

Live Feed

Kansas football: Tommy Dunn Jr. mentioned as potential breakout candidate /

Through the Phog

Brett McMurphy projects Kansas football to face former SEC powerhouse in bowl gameThrough the Phog

Kansas football: Predicting KU’s offensive line starters for Week 1Through the Phog

Kansas basketball: Jayhawks featured in Labaron Philon's top four schoolsThrough the Phog

Kansas football: Jalon Daniels talks back injury, Week 1 availabilityThrough the Phog

Kansas basketball: Vyctorius Miller planning to visit KU this fallThrough the Phog

Self almost seemed reluctant to give Kelly minutes at times when the offense was struggling, and the team needed a jolt of energy. This has caused many Jayhawk fans to question whats going on in Self’s head not playing arguably the most talented and the most touted player on the roster.

Finally, Oubre got his chance and hasn’t disappointed. He has now started every game since the Utah game at the Sprint Center on December 13th, giving him nine straight starts. In these nine starts, he has reached double digits in scoring in seven of them, including two 20+ point games.

Even with earning the starting gig, Jayhawk fans and Bill Self were still wanting more out of the probable lottery pick in this summer’s NBA Draft. Well on Monday night against the Oklahoma Sooners, we got it.

Oubre was all over the floor on both ends. He had 19 points and nine rebounds, and really stood out on the defensive end of the floor using his magnificent length to help disrupt and ultimately stop the amazing run that Oklahoma got on in the second half that almost beat the Jayhawks after they were up by as much as 20 in the first half.

He was very aggressive compared to what we have seen most of the season, and I think that we may be seeing the guy that all the scouts were raving about coming into the season. Many compared his game to that of NBA superstar James Hardens, which had everyone in Lawrence ready for an amazing offensive weapon.

I believe that his early struggles were due to the fact that he was having issues translating his game to the NCAA level. In high school, he was so much bigger and better than everyone else, and now in the Big 12, everyone is his size. I believe that he finally adjusted to the college game, and Jayhawk nation should be ready for one exciting Big 12 regular season heading into the tournaments in March.

Kansas next takes on the Texas Longhorns in what should be a fantastic matchup between two Big 12 giants. The game is Saturday, January 24th @ 1:00 p.m. Watch for number 12 to have a big game if the Jayhawks want to win.

Next: Should KU and MU Be Playing Each Other?

More from KC Kingdom

Home/Kansas Jayhawks