Transfer Dedric Lawson says he’s not the only Jayhawk playing well this summer

Kansas junior power forward Dedric Lawson downplays talk that he’s been perhaps the Jayhawks’ most impressive player in practice and pickup games the past two months.

“Nah, I mean I just make plays when I get it (the basketball). Whoever gets it makes the best play for the next player,” said Lawson, KU’s 6-foot-9, 235-pound All-America candidate from Memphis.

The former Memphis Tiger, who averaged 19.2 points and 9.9 boards per game as a sophomore in 2016-17, will be eligible to play this season after practicing at KU but not playing in games last season in accordance with NCAA transfer rules.

He grinned when asked about cbssports.com’s Jon Rothstein’s recent Twitter post that read, “EVERYTHING is running through Dedric Lawson next season for Kansas,” but stopped short of agreeing that the 2018-19 KU squad will be his team.

“It’s too early to decide whose team it is,” Lawson shrugged Friday night at the Hardwood Classic AAU tournament at Sports Pavilion Lawrence. He was one of the three-point contest celebrity judges with teammates Udoka Azubuike, Quentin Grimes and Marcus Garrett.

“We’re going off guys from last year,” Lawson added. “Now we’ve got Lagerald Vick back. We’ve got Udoka back. We really plan on those guys. They’ve already been there for us. We fall in line. We’re backing those guys up.”

Vick, a senior shooting guard, entered his name in the 2018 NBA Draft without hiring an agent, but ultimately removed his name and was welcomed back by Kansas coach Bill Self and his teammates.

“I was very excited to have him back,” Lawson said. “He’s a great player, another kid from Memphis. “It’s good to have him back with us on the roster. He’s going to be great for us.”

Lawson said he’s been impressed with the work of the entire team during both sessions of summer school.

Some highlights?

“David (McCormack) … he’s doing very well. Ochai (Agbaji) has been very good. Devon (Dotson), Quentin, really all our freshmen have been very good. They’re more talented than I thought they were,” Lawson said. “Devon is going to be one of the best drivers probably in the country. He drives the ball downhill more than anybody. David is an awesome rebounder. Udoka a freak athlete. Ochai a freak athlete, brings energy. Those guys help us on the boards.”

Meanwhile, Self has said Lawson could vie for player of the year honors in the conference with Azubuike and others. Self has said of Lawson, who has impressed in pickup games with unselfish play.

Freshman Grimes on Friday referred to Lawson as the best passer on the team partly because of “his great basketball IQ.”

“I love to pass,” Lawson said. “I love to get my teammates an open shot, a better shot than I have. I just see guys open. I make a good play, Coach (Self) says, ‘Good job,’ and we just move on.”

Lawson said he was groomed to be an effective passer at a young age.

“It’s strange. When I was younger — I started playing basketball when I was around 3 — they always made me take the ball out, make good decisions with the ball,” Lawson said. “Over the years it helped me develop my IQ and develop my passing.”

Lawson started playing AAU ball around the age of 8, he stated. He said he wanted to attend some games at the Hardwood Classic this weekend to show support for the hundreds of youths at the event.

“It’s great to see the kids, because I know what it feels like to travel a lot during the summertime, going to these events to try to showcase their talent,” Lawson said. “I know it’s a lot of hard work, a lot of stress on the body, but at the end of the day it pays off when you get a scholarship you really want.

“Really I just love to come out and watch ball,” he added, noting AAU players compete “out of love of the game. It’s very competitive. It’s always a battle.”