Kansas Basketball: Most disappointing one and done players

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March 14, 2014: Kansas Jayhawks guard Andrew Wiggins (22) during the semifinals of the Phillips 66 Big 12 Men’s Basketball Championship. The Iowa State Cyclones defeated the Kansas Jayhawks 94-83 at Sprint Center in Kansas City, Missouri. (Photo by Jeff Moffett/Icon SMI/Corbis via Getty Images) /

The age of one and done players can be both a positive and a negative for the guys that choose to take the next step, it is no different for Kansas Basketball.

Kansas Basketball has had its fair share of one and done players come through Lawrence, Kansas. Nothing in comparison to the almighty Kentucky Wildcats, who seem to have anywhere between two and twelve one and done guys each season.

Even though the Jayhawks aren’t the one-stop shop for kids eager to get a paycheck, they have had plenty of guys come through for just a short stay. Some of these boys go on to do great things at the next level, some disappear into oblivion. Kansas Basketball has had both.

The success stories of Andrew Wiggins, Kelly Oubre Jr., and Joel Embiid are part of the reason many think they can make the jump. In all fairness to those three, by season’s end, it was pretty evident that they had futures at the next level.

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Then there are the ones that make the decision to leave early. Sometimes it’s so blatantly obvious they aren’t ready it makes fans squirm uncomfortably when the announcement is made.

Wiggins made the right decision. Although there were questions as to how much of an impact he would make, most agreed he made the right decision. Embiid was one of those guys that experts and fans alike all thought could use another year at the college level. It took two injury-plagued seasons for the NBA to finally feel his impact, and what an impact he made.

Wiggins was the Rookie of the Year and has been a solid scorer for the Minnesota Timberwolves. If Embiid can stay healthy, he has a Hall of Fame career waiting on him. Oubre has had a decent career so far as well.

Through 223 games at the professional level, Oubre is averaging 7.6 points and 3.4 rebounds per game. His numbers and playing time are both improving with each year.

Embiid is averaging 22 points and 10 rebounds over 92 games for the Philadelphia 76ers.

Wiggins averages just under 20 points per game over 327 games. All three of these featured players left Kansas early after their freshman year. They can all be considered success stories.

The other half of the equation is the guys who leave early and don’t find the success their talents promised them. These are the guys we will focus on in the upcoming slides. Although some have had various levels of success after Kansas, their decisions were definitely the wrong ones.

All credits go to basketball-reference.com and kuathletics.com.

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