Two games into Bill Self's 24th season as the Kansas Jayhawks head coach, and this year's roster looks like potentially his best in quite a while. KU is 2-0 with dominant wins over Fordham and Middle Tennessee State. While the real test will be this coming Tuesday at No. 23-ranked Kentucky, there is a lot to be excited about.
First and foremost, the senior returnees, Melvin Council Jr. and Tre White, are so clearly a better fit with the current roster than last year's. Not to mention what a second campaign under Self has helped them achieve mentally. White does a little bit of everything and could be a top scorer in the Big 12.
Council himself does not have to perform a Herculean effort every outing. There are possessions where he lets the guys around him create offense, which allows him to conserve energy and use his elite speed and defensive ability to the maximum level.
How good have the Jayhawks looked this year, in what might be Bill Self's deepest roster in a decade?
When it comes to the star-studded freshman class, Tyran Stokes and Taylen Kinney, it's been somewhat rocky, but that's to be expected. Neither one is particularly as polished as Darryn Peterson was last season. Peterson was essentially NBA-ready the second he graduated from high school. Stokes and Kinney haven't played poorly, but it's nice that the talent on this year's roster will allow them to continue to ease into their college careers.
Let's not take any longer to mention the impact Trey Kaufman-Renn has had on the Jayhawks. Self is still playing with the lineups on whether the Purdue transfer should be this team's starting center at just 6'9". In his first game as a starter, TKR finished with 17 points on 7-for-8 from the field, four rebounds, two assists, and a block in just 18 minutes.
Contributions from veteran players like Keanu Dawes, Leroy Blyden, Christian Reeves, and Dennis Parker prove just how deep this year's squad is. This upcoming matchup against Kentucky will be the true test of where this team really stands and what weaknesses they may need to hone in on.
Three-point shooting, I believe, remains a weakness. But in terms of shot selection and shot creation, the Jayhawks are among the best in the country. Every guard and forward on this team can get downhill and create on and off the ball to varying levels of success.
KU is an elite rebounding team, and under Self, it has always been a top-flight defensive juggernaut. They've got athletes all over the place. It should be a truly fun season to watch.
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