Johnny Furphy’s crazy run for KU continues: ‘One of the best players in our league’
Kansas freshman Johnny Furphy has officially arrived.
In the days leading up to Kansas’ most recent game — a dominant 78-65 win over Houston at Allen Fieldhouse — KU coach Bill Self warned the Aussie guard that teams would scout him more following his recent emergence.
Against No. 4 Houston, it didn’t matter how much the Cougars scouted him — he was just that good.
Furphy rose to the occasion with 17 points, eight rebounds, and a team-leading plus-minus of plus-17. He added two assists against no turnovers in a 35-minute performance that followed by KU star Hunter Dickinson sharing that interaction between Self and the breakout freshman.
Self, by the way, had his own comments about Furphy postgame.
“Johnny, I thought he was great,” Self said. “I thought Johnny and KJ (Adams) got us off to a great start and everyone else kind of filled in. But Johnny, guys, he’s a real guy. And he’s getting better all the time. And certainly he looked like he belonged out there today in a situation he’s never been in.
“I know there’s some competitive dudes over at Centre of Excellence in Australia, but I don’t think there’s anything like that — like he had to go against today.”
Furphy’s progression on both ends of the court was evident on Saturday.
It even caught the eye of a national NBA Draft evaluator who simply said via text message to The Star midgame: “He’s an NBA player.”
While he’s emerged as one of KU basketball’s top players — scoring in double-figures in six straight contests — Furphy has done it on remarkable efficiency. His usage rate of 17.9% ranks fourth among KU’s starters. He also ranks No. 29 in the country with his individual offensive rating (131.6), which measures the success of lineups he’s involved in per 100 possessions.
How does that efficiency translate to the games? At halftime, he had 14 points on 5-for-5 shooting.
Even more impressive: his defense.
On multiple possessions, Furphy kept Houston’s guards in check. He didn’t get caught on pump fakes, stayed low, moved well laterally and used his length to bother the shots.
It was a night-and-day difference from even a few games ago.
“It’s been a big emphasis for me recently, just working on my defense, containing my man and not giving up any straight-line drives,” Furphy said. “That’s something I’ve focused on in the past week-and-a-half. I still think there’s a lot of work to improve upon, but I think (I showed) a little bit of improvement tonight.”
His play even caught Dickinson’s attention.
“I think he’s been pretty confident and I think he’s really starting to jell and everything,” Dickinson said. “He’s been really good. It definitely helps when he’s hitting shots. We try to make it easy for him out there, especially when we are trying to do kickouts and stuff like that.
“He’s super confident in himself, as he should be. He’s very talented.”
Furphy’s ascension has been the story of the season for the Jayhawks. Since he replaced Elmarko Jackson in the starting lineup, he has answered the question of who the Jayhawks would turn to next to their established core four.
The rise of Furphy began against Oklahoma, in a 78-66 KU win. He scored seven points with three rebounds in 19 minutes, as he made his first of seven consecutive starts.
The progression from then to now is mind-boggling.
“Can you believe how far Johnny’s come in the last month?” Self said on KU’s postgame radio show. “I mean, he’s one of the best players in our league.”
If that’s true, Kansas fans better enjoy him now. Because a pro future may come calling sooner rather than later.
