The challenges Bill Self faces with this KU offense, and a potential path to success
The catharsis took place at an elevated table in the Erwin Center’s multi-purpose room, with Bill Self taking a few extra reporter questions while also clearing his mind.
This was a half-hour after KU’s 73-63 loss to Texas on Tuesday, and the Kansas coach had quite a bit he seemed to want to get out.
He spoke about how his team was “so poor offensively.” He talked about how, for the second straight game, a defense had worked to take away Dedric Lawson with teammates failing to take full advantage.
Then came the moment that seemed almost like a confession.
“That’s on us too. That’s on me,” Self said of his team’s scoring woes. “We’ve got to find some way to play where I can help the guys offensively. We just haven’t figured it out yet.”
This is difficult. A challenge. Self spent all offseason dreaming of ways to have Lawson, a gifted passer, feed Udoka Azubuike, the man who clears more space inside than anyone in college basketball.
The KU two-big look was going to be back. There’d be angles and duck-ins, alley-oops and slams, and the Jayhawks would appear to be destined for efficient offense, overwhelming in the paint as so many other past Self teams had done.
And then, Azubuike got hurt again, finished for the season with a hand injury. This summer’s plans were thrown in the trash.
Self decided it was best to go small again, and KU hasn’t found an ideal way to score just yet.
Kentucky started this recent swoon. The Wildcats basically ignored Marcus Garrett, leaving his man in the lane to help on drives and double-team Lawson. Garrett couldn’t take advantage. KU lost.
And a blueprint was set: Give Lawson plenty of attention inside, and see if KU’s other players could win their own battles in the half-court.
In the last four days, KU is 0-for-2 solving that riddle.
“It puts a lot of pressure on some guys to do some things that maybe they’re not as good at doing yet,” Self said.
So here are few of the challenges Self faces as he tries to look ahead:
• This team isn’t a great passing team, which the numbers bear out. In terms of assists, Self’s worst team at KU (2016-17) assisted on 55 percent of its made field goals. This team is at 48 percent.
For all of freshman Devon Dotson’s good qualities, which include strong on-ball defense and a competitive nature, he doesn’t have the best court vision yet. Self can’t simply run high ball screens — like he did previously with Frank Mason and Devonté Graham — and trust his point guard to simply go make a play off a read.
• Dedric Lawson can’t get easy baskets like many of KU’s previous big men. Self and his staff have been masters at teaching big men how to get open looks by sealing their defenders inside, but Lawson simply doesn’t have the body to effectively pull this off. Last week, Self talked about Lawson’s skinny legs, saying his calves were about as thick as his thighs. This makes it difficult for him to hold off anyone in the post who’s trying to push him from his spot.
• This isn’t a great transition team. Synergy Sports Technology’s logs, which complies scouting data, had KU in the 84th percentile for transition efficiency a year ago. This year, the Jayhawks are in the 31st percentile.
Again, inexperience in the backcourt seems to have affected how well KU has executed on fast breaks.
• The Jayhawks’ four-guard lineup is limited. This team doesn’t shoot it as well from the perimeter as last season, and it also is on pace to be Self’s worst offensive rebounding team during his 16 seasons in Lawrence. That puts a lot of pressure on a team to not only shoot it well inside but also get to the free throw line, a skill that has varied game to game.
It’s all left KU without much of an identity since Azubuike went down eight games ago.
“The pieces just don’t quite fit yet,” Self said. “I’ve got to figure out a way to get the pieces to fit better, because we’ve got good pieces. I just haven’t done a good job of figuring it out.”
That process will continue, with KU needing some answers quickly.
Texas Tech looms as a huge home game on Saturday. A road contest at Kansas State is right after. Both appear to be legitimate contenders for the Big 12 title while sitting with or above KU in the current standings.
Self’s most obvious options probably involve a leap of faith.
For one, he could try to get Lawson more touches by bringing him further out on the perimeter. Self did this some late against Texas, using an old Perry Ellis play to free Lawson at the top of the key so he could more easily get passes and create for himself or others.
A second possible fix would be to test the boundaries of his team’s outside shooting. KU has made 36 percent of its threes this year — a good number — but ranks 311th in volume of shots taken there. Taking open ones could relieve some pressure on Lawson inside, while also having the added benefit of boosting the offense three points at a time.
Can Quentin Grimes shoot more out there? How about Dotson, and also Ochai Agbaji?
Again, this isn’t easy. Self has adjusted well to his teams’ strengths in the past.
This year’s task seems a bit more daunting, though, with the Jayhawks’ best qualities not nearly as clear.
This story was originally published January 29, 2019 at 11:24 PM.
