Exhibition games are over and done with for the Kansas Jayhawks, as Bill Self and his revamped squad look to accomplish much more than last year's shaky team. Since winning the National Championship in 2022, KU basketball has lost double-digit games in three of the past four seasons and failed to reach the Sweet 16 in all four campaigns.
Now it's a new year, and Self finally seems to have fully grasped the dark side of college sports these days. That being, navigating the transfer portal and NIL; he's always been a master of recruiting kids out of high school to come play for such a storied basketball university.
The latest being No. 1 overall prospect Tyran Stokes, who, much like Darryn Peterson last year, is widely expected to be the first overall selection in the 2027 NBA Draft. But Kansas has more than Stokes' talent set to play big minutes. This has the potential to be one of Self's best rosters in his time here at KU. They just have to gel together in time.
With so many players worthy of minutes on the floor, it's tough to narrow it down to 9 or 10 who will see the majority of the playing time throughout the year. And it's even harder to get to 7 or 8 guys when the games really start to amp up in February and March.
The legendary Jayhawks coach has every resource available to him in terms of personnel. Now he just needs to maximize the talent he's acquired
Let's begin with the starting five. Self used these practice games as much as he could as a sort of barometer for how he wants to deploy certain lineups at certain times. In my estimation, this should be the Jayhawks' starting five come the season opener in Allen Fieldhouse against Fordham on Nov. 2.
Jayhawks Starting Five - Guards: Melvin Council Jr., Tre White - Forwards: Tyran Stokes, Trey Kaufman-Renn - Center: Christian Reeves
This lineup feels pretty set in stone, despite the Jayhawks, in my opinion, having 7-8 guys worth starting for various reasons. I chose to keep the continuity in the backcourt from last season with Council and White. They have years of college experience under their belts, and each has a year under Self and his schemes. I think both could take a step forward in their progression as more well-rounded basketball players this season.
Stokes is really the only young guy in this starting five. He's arguably the most talented college hooper in the country, so it's not like you can bench him. He's 6'8", 230 lbs, can drive the ball, find his spots, play defense, and facilitate. Kaufman-Renn, the late roster addition, has been a top 10-15 player in the sport for the past two years. He's a no-brainer; let's just hope his three-point shot improves.
Reeves, the 7'2" big man, in my opinion, is the easy choice at center over Paul Mbiya. He has more experience, is more polished on both ends of the floor, and fits well within this lineup of high-IQ players. Defensively, this starting five would be hell to play against. They can switch on the perimeter, Kaufman-Renn can bang inside if needed at 6'10", and Reeves is an excellent rim protector.
One offensive weakness is certainly not ball movement and creating high-quality shots. It's just the consistent ability to knock them down. Stokes is not as good a shooter as Peterson was last year, but can still get uber hot, and Council is a pure drive-and-dish playmaker. White had his ups and downs, but overall is a solid 38-40% from beyond the arc.
Kaufman-Renn will be the deciding factor. Will he shoot darn near 43% as he did two years ago, or will he plummet to 15% from last season? I'd tend to guess sit even out around the low thirties and if so, then KU will be just fine
Big time bench minutes - Guards: Taylen Kinney, Leroy Blyden Jr. - Forwards: Dennis Parker Jr., Keanu Dawes - Center: Paul Mbiya
I think a lot of people expect Kinney to start for KU this year. And, to be honest, before the return of Melvin Council and Tre White, along with Kaufmen-Renn being added to the mix, he would have. And it would have been fine. He's a five-star freshman point guard who can get buckets, defend, and is arguably the best passer on the roster. But at 18 years old, I'm not sure Self would or should feel comfortable with him running the offense alongside another freshman in Stokes.
The undersized 6'1" Blyden may be small, but man, can he score the ball. I could see a situation in which Self tries to nudge him into big minutes early in the season and utilize his scoring and shooting ability. Off the bench, he's a major asset. As for Dennis Parker Jr., he is a guy who also got buckets at a small school last year. And while he is probably going to have to be okay playing two minutes one night and 14 in another, his size and athleticism are valuable.
Keanu Dawes, again, before the addition of Kaufman-Renn, was going to be the starting four spot in the lineup. A spot he is all too familier with from his time at Utah and excelled. It feels like malpractice for a guy like him to come off the bench, but it just speaks to the depth of KU's roster.
And lastly, Paul Mbiya, the 7-foot center who gained the trust of Self as the season went on. Next year, hopefully if he stay at KU will be his major breakout into stardom. For now, I'd say he is one of the more physically imposing and high-potential backup centers in college basketball.
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