Kansas basketball: Impact of KJ Adams commitment

Kansas basketball landed a huge commitment yesterday from KJ Adams, a four-star prospect in the 2021 recruiting class.

Despite some recent recruiting misses, Bill Self landed Kansas basketball’s second recruit of the 2021 class yesterday. Four-star forward KJ Adams will be joining the Kansas Jayhawks’ 2021 class, and he should be a big help to the Kansas.

For starters, he’s pushed the Jayhawks’ 2021 recruiting class to No. 11 in the nation after being outside of the top 20. Kansas is still No. 2 in the Big 12 behind Baylor, but one more big commit could change that.

Last season, Kansas finished No. 22 in the nation in terms of recruiting probably due to the threat of NCAA allegations. That threat is still looming, but it looks like Self and his staff aren’t letting that slow them down. If Kansas can grab a five-star, like Hunter Sallis or Jaden Hardy for example, they should have a top five class for 2021.

On the court, Adams could become a difference maker for the Jayhawks. Standing at six-foot-seven, Adams would fit well in the four-around-one system that Self has been partial to in recent years. He would be on the small side of a true “power forward;” however, given how positionless basketball has become, it’s not a huge deal.

Based on his highlights, Adams is a pretty good shooter from deep, and he’s effective in the post as well. That combination of skills is really good, and it  points toward him being a solid player for the Jayhawks; however, he’ll have to find a spot in the rotation first.

Senior big men Silvio De Sousa and Mitch Lightfoot will both be graduating after this season, while David McCormack will have another year left of eligibility after the 2020-21 season. McCormack coming back is up in the air right now, but incoming freshman Tyon Grant-Foster may still be at Kansas to compete with Adams.

While he’ll be competing for playing time with some really good players, Adams should be able to find a role fairly early in his career at Kansas. He’s a talented player, and a great addition to the Jayhawks’ 2021 recruiting class.