Meet Kansas Jayhawks' Recruit Devonte Graham

Mandatory Credit: John Rieger-USA TODAY Sports

Devonte Graham signed on with the Kansas Jayhawks only one day after the surprising news of starting point guard Naadir Tharpe’s intentions to transfer from Kansas came to light. He had, just days before, narrowed his list down to NC State and Kansas.

Graham told ESPN,

"“(Tharpe) was a big part of their program and played a lot. If he had stayed, I’m not sure if I would be going to Kansas.”"

Thank you for your timely decision Mr. Tharpe.

If Graham had chosen NC State over Kansas, Bill Self and the Jayhawks would have been left with sophomore point guards Frank Mason and Conner Frankamp. While both are good players and have plenty of potential, I don’t think either is ready to take over the reigns for a powerhouse with championship aspirations such as Kansas at arguably the most important position on the court.

Devonte will bring a different style of play to Kansas that what fans are used to over the last few years. He plays like a “pure point guard.”

Well, what is a “pure” point guard?

A pure point guard is someone who can get his teammates involved and makes everyone around him a better player. This doesn’t mean that a pure point guard can’t score, just that his main responsibility and skill is to get other players open and make life easier for them on the court.

Think about Chris Paul and Russell Westbrook in the NBA. Who would be considered the “pure” point guard out of the two?

Obviously Chris Paul would be. Westbrook is a fantastic player and plays the point guard position, but is a score-first player and looks to pass after looking for his shot first. Chris Paul, on the other hand, is the definition of a pure point guard. He drives the lane and finds the open man, whether out at the 3-point line or above the rim for the alley-oop.

This is the type of player that Kansas fans can expect from Devonte Graham.

No, he’s not going to be as good as Chris Paul right off the bat, but the style of play will compare on the court.

Graham is 6-foot tall, and 170 pounds and has been rapidly climbing up scout’s ranks over the last few weeks. According to Scout.com, Graham is ranked as the 9th overall point guard in this year’s class.

He has excellent court vision and is a good facilitator that loves to push the ball up the court when possible. His athletic ability is stellar for his size and when paired with his excellent ball handling and passing ability, he could become a dangerous weapon at the point for the Jayhawks.

Graham described himself to ESPN saying,

"“I’m someone who can run a team and also can score, but I look to get everyone involved and try and be a leader as a point guard.”Hopefully, he can do just that; Lead."

I expect that Bill Self will let the three remaining point guards compete for the starting job with the two front-runners being Frank Mason and Graham.

Meet Kansas Jayhawks’ Recruit Devonte Graham

By Zach Blochlinger | May 6, 2014