Why KU should appreciate the man who’s behind Udoka Azubuike’s dunks

Kansas guard Quentin Grimes had 10 assists on Monday night, and something like this doesn’t happen by accident.

It’s why KU basketball coach Bill Self, just before huddling his team up in the locker room following an 84-68 victory over Vermont, made sure to praise him for his stat line.

“I knew I had a lot of assists,” Grimes said with a smile, “but I didn’t know I had a double-double.”

Grimes, a game after going for 21 points against Michigan State, posted 10 points and 10 assists in an encore Monday.

Perhaps even more impressively, he also showed some advanced basketball IQ that helped KU build an insurmountable lead.

Vermont was a tough matchup for KU defensively. The Catamounts frequently pulled KU’s 7-foot center Udoka Azubuike away from the rim in the first half, making him guard out in space where he wasn’t comfortable. It led to open threes and, at one point, an eight-point Vermont lead.

Meanwhile, on the other end, Azubuike was forcing things. After making difficult shots against Michigan State, he was too often settling for jumpers against the undersized Catamounts while trying to go over the top of defenders.

This isn’t the way Self wants to play, especially with a size advantage. Self always talks about his big men getting “angles,” meaning they position their body in a way to get layups or dunks without having to go over a shot-blocker.

It takes two players to make this work, though. And on Monday, Grimes was KU’s catalyst over and over, providing assists for seven of Azubuike’s eight dunks.

This takes more than accuracy. Grimes, much like a quarterback, needs to read Azubuike and the man guarding him simultaneously, quickly processing the best direction and pass type to help get an open look.

A good example came in the first half. Grimes caught the ball on the perimeter, and when he first looked inside, Vermont’s Anthony Lamb was playing behind Azubuike; Grimes could have thrown it in, but it wouldn’t have given KU an advantage.

Instead, he waited. And right when Lamb went to move around Azubuike, Grimes saw the opening, throwing it over the top and giving Azubuike had his “angle.”

It wasn’t the only way Grimes freed up Azubuike.

Take another example later in the second half. When Grimes got the ball in the corner, Azubuike — with both feet in the lane — had Lamb buried behind him. Grimes saw this and fired a dump pass instead of a lob, allowing Azubuike to catch the ball quickly so he could use his position for an easy two.

Grimes even showed off a heady play — before a fast break even began — a few seconds later. In transition, he waved Lagerald Vick to the corner, which forced Vermont to spread its defense. With that, Grimes knew he wouldn’t have to worry about a help defender when looking to Azubuike inside, showing off patience again while waiting for an opportunity to throw Azubuike open.

“He had a great game passing,” Self said of Grimes. “I thought he played well.”

Grimes, in essence, was a big part of making KU’s offense go. The best way Self could play Azubuike on Monday was if he was enough of a problem offensively that it would make up for his defensive perimeter limitations.

Early on, KU found Azubuike, but not in the right spots.

Grimes, more than anyone, helped change that ... one Azubuike dunk at a time.

Jesse Newell

Jesse Newell covers University of Kansas athletics for The Star.

This story was originally published November 13, 2018 at 6:56 AM.