Bill Self had a regret last game. His adjustment after that helped KU beat Creighton
If Kansas’ basketball season is a book — and each game a chapter — then Bill Self provided some foreshadowing last week as to what was coming Tuesday.
It’s fascinating to look back now. One could point to a thousand small reasons why KU eventually pulled off a 73-72 home victory over No. 8 Creighton at Allen Fieldhouse, but an important one was this:
Self vowed to learn from a mistake. Then he did just that.
So let’s rewind a second. KU had trouble closing offensively in Saturday’s four-point win over North Dakota State. In particular, Marcus Garrett looked fatigued, getting blocked twice in the final four minutes with little elevation on his jumps.
“I thought Marcus played very tired, and then of course I play him 36 minutes,” Self said then, “so that’s not a smart thing to do.”
When we talk about Self getting the most out of his players, we usually are discussing play calls to take advantage of their strengths. Or offseason development that eventually turns a reserve into a future star.
Something else is important, though, and an aspect where Self has continued to improve over time: He analyzes every player individually and evaluates how he can get the absolute most out of them.
Consider this: In the past, Self has never been afraid to lean heavily on his point guards if he thought they could handle the workload. In 2017-18, for example, Devonté Graham played all 40 minutes for 10 straight games, with the Jayhawks squeezing everything they could out of a Big 12 player of the year whose effort rarely wavered.
It’s likely that Self would love to do the same for Garrett — the reigning national defensive player of the year — but it simply hasn’t worked out that way.
Garrett battled some sort of sickness last week. There also have been times when Garrett has struggled to catch his breath in-game.
So Self — through self-evaluation last game — realized he’d messed up. Playing Garrett all 20 second-half minutes against North Dakota State hurt the player, which in turn hurt the team.
So jump ahead to Tuesday.
KU had a six-point lead midway through the second half. It’s the time where a coach would like to turn to his best players to finish things out.
Self, though, made an adjustment from last time. He subbed Garrett out, just after the guard was late on a boxout while allowing an offensive rebound. Self then rested Garrett for three minutes, 22 seconds.
What happened next didn’t take place at the very end of the game ... but it still was of vital importance in a one-point win.
Watch Garrett on his next possession after re-entering. He switches to Creighton’s Mitchell Ballock, then hounds him on the perimeter to deny a shot and keep him from a driving angle.
The final result is a Creighton airball, and ESPN analyst Robbie Hummel commenting immediately about Garrett having the biggest impact on the play.
Garrett had an assist a minute later. Then a steal in the next 60 seconds. And another assist the minute after that.
He also proved to be a different player in the final two minutes as well. On a crucial drive with KU was up three late, Garrett powered through a defender and put in a layup at the rim — the exact setting he lacked explosion three days earlier.
“How about the last finish he had when he did get to the basket?” Self said afterward. “That was tremendous.”
And while Garrett made the play, he also received an assist from Self.
The difference between winning and losing can be slim. Coaches — every day — make hundreds of micro-decisions in the hopes of helping their team, all the while knowing many small ripples don’t create big waves.
Sometimes, though, they do.
This shift was small to start. On Saturday, Self reflected, coming to understand that Garrett needs his own blueprint for success.
Garrett played 36 minutes Saturday. He played 35 on Tuesday.
Yet how that time was dispersed led to a better Garrett when KU needed him, fresh for the stretch run when the Jayhawks closed out a win.
Self’s subtle move, in this instance, turned out to be more than just an educated guess.
It was — in the simplest terms — a smart thing to do.
This story was originally published December 8, 2020 at 10:31 PM.
