Hunter Dickinson chose KU basketball. So what (or who) comes next for the Jayhawks?
Kansas men’s basketball coach Bill Self got what he wanted on Thursday ... or at least what he had previously asked for.
“We need a big guy that can go out and get 20 (points) and 10 (rebounds),” Self said on April 5.
Well, Self found his man. Former Michigan star Hunter Dickinson announced he will transfer to Kansas. He averaged 18.5 points and 9.0 rebounds last season.
Along with addition of transfer guards Nick Timberlake and Arterio Morris, Dickinson helps vault the Jayhawks into talks as a potential Final Four contender.
The Jayhawks presumably have one roster spot to fill after guard Kyle Cuffe Jr. entered the transfer portal on Wednesday — assuming Kansas is down one spot due to self-imposed sanctions announced before last season. Those numbers still could shift, however, depending on how the summer progresses.
Here’s how Thursday’s news affects the Jayhawks...
Possible KU transfers out
Dickinson joining KU may have ripple effects on the current KU roster, which features scholarship big men KJ Adams, Zuby Ejiofor and Ernest Udeh.
Adams is an undersized big at 6-foot-7, and KU will likely move him to the power forward spot after he started at center last year. Adams told The Star during the 2023 NCAA Tournament that his primary objective is to work on his shooting to be a full-time power forward.
Dickinson’s addition to the roster shouldn’t affect Adams’ minutes too much — Adams will likely play the four alongside Dickinson in KU’s starting lineup.
Last season’s freshman bigs — Udeh and Ejiofor — will likely have their playing time affected by Dickinson.
Udeh was Adams’ backup last season and was seen as a potential starter this year. If he stays, he will likely have a role; it might not be his envisioned role, though.
Ejiofor averaged 5.2 minutes per game last season and didn’t have a full-time rotation spot. Before Dickinson’s announcement, he would’ve competed for either starting minutes or a prominent bench role.
Now, Ejiofor’s minutes will be even harder to come by, which could lead to him entering the transfer portal.
Who is KU basketball’s next target?
Recently, the Jayhawks hosted former Duke commit and five-star 2023 prospect Mackenzie Mgbako for a visit. Mgbako is a stretch-four who could play alongside Dickinson.
“His shot-making from behind the arc is his best asset,” said 247Sports scouting director Adam Finkelstein. “He can also make the types of shots that translate to the next level — pick-and-pop threes, slipping out of ball screens to make shots on the move, or creating space with a series of side-step or step-back shots.”
If the five-star recruit were to join KU, he would join a 2023 Kansas freshman class, currently ranked No. 7 in the country, according to 247Sports.
Jayhawks’ roster outlook
KU currently has 11 scholarship players on the roster for next season. The four returnees from last season are Dajuan Harris, Adams, Udeh and Ejiofor, then four incoming freshmen: Marcus Adams, Elmarko Jackson, Chris Johnson and Jamari McDowell.
Finally, the last three spots are transfers — Dickinson, Morris and Timberlake.
Projecting a rotation, the following seven players will almost certainly have a role, with room for another player, like Ejiofor (or potential newcomer, like Mgbako), to affect things on the court, too:
- Guards: Harris, Jackson, Timberlake and Morris
- Forwards/big men: KJ Adams, Dickinson and Udeh
Harris is a perfect fit as a pass-first point guard for Dickinson, and Timberlake would help spread the floor. If Adams expands his shooting range, that could help Kansas, too.
Kansas can park Dickinson in the paint and play through him — which Self loves to do with his big men. Dickinson also provides a modern twist to his game. He shot 42.1% from three last season.
