Point guard Dajuan Harris knows his role at KU: ‘I’ve got to be a pest on defense’
Dajuan Harris has picked up some valuable pointers while studying the tendencies of senior point guard Marcus Garrett the past two seasons at Kansas.
“I’ve seen how aggressive he is on defense,” Harris, KU’s redshirt freshman backup lead guard from Columbia, Missouri, said, pinpointing the part of Garrett’s game he tries the hardest to emulate.
“I’m so small I’ve got to be a pest on defense. I’ve got to bring it every time,” Harris added.
Harris, who could net more than his current average of 14.4 minutes per game during Thursday’s Big 12 men’s basketball tournament quarterfinal against either Oklahoma or Iowa State (5:30 p.m. at T-Mobile Center in Kansas City) because of the absence of David McCormack (COVID-19 protocols), has nothing in common with Garrett physically.
Garrett, last year’s Naismith Defensive Player of the Year, stands 6-foot-5 and weighs 205 pounds.
Harris is listed at 6-1 and weighs 170.
“About a buck-sixty (160 pounds) fully clothed — winter clothes I’m sure with boots on,” KU men’s basketball coach Bill Self corrected, speaking on Monday’s Hawk Talk radio show.
The two players with opposite body types often accomplish the same results on the defensive end. Harris, who had two steals that helped fuel KU’s 67-62 comeback victory over UTEP last Thursday at Allen Fieldhouse, for the year has 23 steals in 388 total minutes, fourth best steals total on the team.
Garrett’s 41 steals lead all Jayhawks.
“He’s really good defensively. He has active hands,” junior power forward McCormack said recently of Harris, who scored six points with two rebounds, two steals and two assists in 24 minutes versus UTEP.
It was Harris’ second-longest stint of the season. He scored seven points and dished seven assists in 27 minutes in a 93-64 victory over TCU on Jan. 5 in Fort Worth, Texas.
“It (extended minutes) makes my confidence go way up. Usually I’m not in at the end of the game,” said Harris. He played 17 minutes the second half and hit two key free throws in crunch time versus the Miners. “I’m going to need that (heading) into March Madness and the Big 12 Tournament,” he added.
Self has said he’ll likely implement a five-guard lineup at the Big 12 Tournament with 5-man McCormack (and also reserve forward Tristan Enaruna) out of action because of COVID-19 protocols.
That means either Harris or Bryce Thompson would likely fill McCormack’s vacancy in the opening lineup. If Self goes with four guards and a big, Mitch Lightfoot could open at the 5.
“Sure I do, absolutely,” Self said, asked if he trusted Harris enough to start Thursday. “There’s reasons why we’d do certain things, but we’ll let it play out. He’s done well here of late especially,” Self added.
Harris’ teammates say the former Rock Bridge High School point guard has been a huge asset off the bench during KU’s 19-8 regular season
“Dajuan has been and always will be a spark,” McCormack said after the victory over UTEP. “He came in and got deflections, got steals, made the right passes, had a couple points. He was a floor general. He did everything we needed him to do and more. He was just amazing.”
McCormack said when Harris is in the game, “we have great ball movement and great defensive possessions. There will be a nice flow to the game. When Dajuan comes in the ball moves easier. The game kind of gets to a natural rhythm where we can take off or regain the lead when we are down.”
Junior guard Ochai Agbaji said Harris, “is a great teammate. Defensively and offensively he’s a true point guard, getting guys the ball. I have confidence in what he does. We trust him moving forward.”
Self said when Harris is playing well, as in the UTEP game, he “can create some havoc, deflections. We are not a great team in transition but we are a better team in transition when Juan is in the game. Live ball turnovers lead to transition. We are not getting near as many of those when he is not in the game.”
Self — he has credited the team’s improvement on defense as the main reason the squad closed the regular season with seven wins in eight games — figures to continue to award Harris minutes if he excels defensively.
Self is also convinced Harris can produce on the offensive end.
For the year, he averages 1.9 points a game on 42.2% shooting (19-of-45 from the field). He also has cashed 5 threes in 9 tries for 55.6%. He’s 8 of 10 from the line and has 52 assists to 21 turnovers.
“The other thing (besides defend) I think he can do is score,” Self said. “He has a good jump hook. He can make the wide-open shot. People play him as a non-offensive factor. But playing 4 against 5, backing off him can play to our benefit too. He’s a good ball mover, patient. I think when he gets in there he can score a bit too.”
Self likes Harris’ court vision and willingness to make the extra pass.
“Remember how Steve Nash used to dribble around, dribble around until he threw it to somebody for a layup? I think Dajuan has a little bit of that,” Self said. “He has as good a feel as any true point guard we’ve had, going back to an Aaron Miles type.”
Harris definitely is trying to do what Self wants.
“Coach tells me every day to be aggressive on defense and offense. I’m trying to follow behind Marcus and listen to coach,” Harris said, adding Self, “tells us every day at practice we need more transition buckets.”
Harris said for a successful Big 12 Tournament and beyond, “we have to keep listening to coach’s game plan, keep focusing on defense and getting stops. If we keep improving on defense we’re going to get better and better. Getting stops makes it hard on teams. We’re going to need that down the road.”
Self says it will take “everybody giving a little bit more,” with McCormack out. The 6-10 big man from Norfolk, Virginia is expected to be cleared to play in time for next week’s start of the NCAA Tournament, Self has said.
“Without putting pressure on anybody, your best players need to perform in games that matter the most: Ochai, Marcus, Jalen (Wilson) and Christian (Braun) need to bring it. Granted it doesn’t have to be that they all bring it and are great the same game,” Self said “Of course that’d be nice,. We’d be hard to deal with if that’s the case. They will (all) probably have a bigger role than what they have (now). Bryce, Mitch, Juan, Tyon (Grant-Foster) ... it’s a great opportunity for them to step up. I actually am excited to watch us grow I hope for three days (but) I know it could be one day (if KU loses in quarterfinals).”
He’s also interested in orchestrating Harris’ development during Harris’ college years.
“I do think he has a chance to be a really good guard for us and certainly will be an impact player for us the rest of his career here,” Self said.
If KU wins Thursday, it will meet either Texas or Texas Tech in a semifinal at 8:30 p.m. Friday at T-Mobile Center. The championship game is 5 p.m. Saturday on ESPN, with NCAA pairings announced Sunday at 5 p.m. on CBS.
