Why the next week is important for this Kansas Jayhawks basketball freshman
Bill Self — historically — has challenged his team with its non-conference schedule.
The 17th-year Kansas coach has done this strategically. The Jayhawks have made a yearly tradition out of hand-picking opponents to improve their end-of-season résumé, and that’s helped the program on Selection Sunday, where it’s earned a top-two seed in nine of the last 10 seasons.
Self didn’t change his methods this year, as KU has the second-toughest non-conference slate of any Power Five program according to Ken Pomeroy’s numbers.
That type of bravery is typically lauded by college basketball writers. It’s important to note, though, that it also comes at a cost.
Without as many blowouts, Self is potentially missing out on opportunities to extend his bench.
And that’s what makes the next two games so important — especially for someone like freshman guard and Blue Valley Northwest product Christian Braun.
Self was asked to evaluate Braun on Monday, and he started by saying he’d done “fine.” The coach quickly transitioned, though, to say Braun’s overall assessment was incomplete.
“I don’t think he’s had as many opportunities as what I probably would have liked to have given him,” Self said. “I think he’s been averaging about eight minutes a game, something like that. And that’s not enough time to get comfortable.”
Let’s be clear: Braun would have gotten more time with additional cupcakes on the schedule, as he’d have been allowed to play through some of his missteps had the stakes been lower.
What’s happened with Braun, though, is the result of completely rational things happening all at once:
1. He’s struggled to adapt to the college game
2. Because of that, he’s been less productive than his teammates
3. Self has not played him as much while putting out his best lineups to ensure wins against good opponents
4. With the limited playing time, Braun has not been able to earn more trust from his coach
Here’s the good news for Braun: This week is an opportunity. Milwaukee — KU’s opponent Tuesday — is ranked 236th in KenPom, while Saturday’s foe UMKC is 249th.
There’s some wiggle room there for Self to put in his reserves a bit more. And it perhaps shouldn’t be a surprise that Braun’s two double-digit minute games thus far came against KU’s two worst challengers to date in Monmouth and Chaminade.
Some extended playing time seems like it could help Braun. In nine minutes against Colorado on Saturday, the guard appeared to be laboring defensively, working to hold his ground as the Buffaloes frequently tried to post him up.
Self said Braun is a good outside shooter and also is skilled at stealing extra possessions, but he hasn’t been able to play to that much “because I think he’s just trying to not screw up.”
“I think he’s going to be a really good player,” Self said. “I think that the game is a lot faster than what it was for him in high school. Obviously he’d be the first to tell you that.”
If Braun is able to gain some confidence over the next week, it’d be a positive for KU as a whole. Self has basically limited his rotation to seven primary guys so far, with the Jayhawks ranking 300th nationally in KenPom’s bench minutes measure.
While a short rotation is not inherently a bad thing — it’s actually been a positive quality for many recent Final Four teams — KU remains one injury away from needing Braun to take on a much larger role.
In theory, Braun seems like a potential good fit for this team. The Jayhawks could certainly use more three-point shooting, and Braun also has shown himself to be a willing passer and someone who doesn’t mind taking on a complementary role while working to make his teammates better.
He should get a nice two-game audition before the opportunities might dry up again. After this week, the Jayhawks have no more opponents outside KenPom’s top 100 and also face only one team (Kansas State) that isn’t 60th or better.
KU is probably going to beat Milwaukee and UMKC in the next six days. That fact shouldn’t surprise anyone.
Preferably, though, Self would have that happen while also getting a better feel for what he can expect from his bench moving forward.
Braun should be ready. His time should be coming Tuesday.
