KU Jayhawks basketball coach Bill Self shares early take on possible starting lineup
The Kansas Jayhawks’ starting lineup for the 2022-23 men’s basketball season is beginning to take shape.
“I’d say ‘close,’’’ KU coach Bill Self said Wednesday when asked if four of the five slots have been solidified. He was speaking at the Big 12 Men’s Basketball Tipoff at Kansas City’s T-Mobile Center.
“Those three here should start unless something happens,” Self said with a gesture toward guards Dajuan Harris and Kevin McCullar and small forward Jalen Wilson, who attended the annual media day event alongside their head coach.
“It’d be hard to not have Gradey out there,” Self added of sharpshooting freshman guard Gradey Dick, “because we’re going to need that offensive threat. Nothing is guaranteed, but those guys would be the leaders in the clubhouse.”
Self went on to lavish praise on Harris, KU’s 6-foot-1 redshirt-junior point guard.
“Dajuan Harris is one of the smartest, best basketball players I’ve been around,” Self said. “Nobody will know it, because the stats don’t say that. You’ll see a different Dajuan this year, because we’re going to put the ball in his hands to finish plays or pass to finish plays, as opposed to being equal-opportunity.
“I think you’ll see his value this year. It’s important he makes 40% of his wide-open shots. ‘If wide open, shoot it.’ If (he’s) not wide-open, his best deal is still getting other guys open shots.”
The Jayhawks’ fifth starter likely will be a forward or power forward, Self said.
“We could play KJ at the 5, which we will some. He’s too little,” Self said of KJ Adams, a 6-7, 225-pound sophomore. “We could do that and switch ball-screens late.
“If you want a ball-screen, run-to-the-rim defensive team, you could probably go with Ernest (Udeh, 6-11, 250) or Zuby (Ejiofor, 6-9, 240). If you want a skill pick-and-pop team that maybe doesn’t have the same presence defensively, maybe go with Cam (Martin, 6-9 230) or Zach (Clemence, 6-10, 230).
“We need one of those guys to emerge. Right now they are all right there, the same. I told ‘em the other day, ‘It’s nice to have four guys play 10 minutes. (But) you are going to have four guys who will be mad.’ I’d rather have one guy play 25 and one 15, to be real candid, and get two happy. Right now, they are all about the same.”
Of sophomore Clemence, Self said: “I still think he has a chance to (start). Zach’s skill-set is good if you want to play to pick-and-pop, play to some things. That’s fine. We can play that way. Offensively I have no problem with that.
“The problem is, if he’s guarding Trayce Jackson-Davis (6-9, Indiana forward), can he physically compete with him? He has some challenges there physically because of strength. We’ll have to figure some ways to help those guys.”
This story was originally published October 19, 2022 at 5:01 PM.
