Kansas basketball summer 2021 checklist for head coach Bill Self

After falling short in Round 2 of the 2021 NCAA Tournament, Kansas basketball will be looking to pick themselves up off their feet next season.

Despite losing a few bench players to the transfer portal and the departure of assistant coach Jerrance Howard, fans should be optimistic about what’s on the horizon in Lawrence.

Head coach Bill Self has signed a “lifetime” contract with Kansas, which means he’ll be running the show for the long term.

At the same time, the ongoing NCAA investigations will have decisions made within 12 months and could hinder some of the changes being made following Coach Self’s contract signing in April.

Regardless, Kansas’ offseason has been fairly productive recruiting-wise. However, the “dog days” of summer are just around the corner and there are a few things head coach Bill Self should get cracking on.

Perimeter building

This past season, Kansas sat around the middle of the pack in three-point shooting. This oftentimes kept the Jayhawks out of games and contributed to some of their crucial losses.

Between Ochai Agbaji, Jalen Wilson, and Christian Braun, these starting guards took a nosedive midseason and contributed to Kansas’ brief departure from the AP rankings.

All three did not qualify for the All-Big 12 team, however, Kansas would add senior guard Marcus Garrett and junior forward David McCormack to the list.

With solid additions being made this offseason, the Jayhawks’ perimeter could be seeing some improvements before the 2021-2022 season arrives.

There is room to grow, which will be crucial in the upcoming season. While improvements from upperclassmen will be needed, fans should expect support from our recent additions.

Young recruits Joseph Yesufu, Bobby Pettiford, and Kyle Cuffe will all have a chance to contribute next season.

Cleaning up the glass defensively

Kansas executed a fairly solid offensive rebounding effort in the 2020-21 campaign, however, the same can’t be said on the defensive end.

The Jayhawks were sixth in the conference in defensive rebounds last season and saw plenty of miscues along the way.

Taking away opportunities will be crucial for Kansas next season, which could be hard to ask.

Sophomore guard Jalen Wilson was arguably the best rebounding player on the roster this past season and considering his recent decision to test the draft process, KU might lose one of their strongest rebounders.

Despite Wilson’s possible departure, he holds eligibility to re-join the Jayhawks for his junior season in 2021.

Returning junior guard Christian Braun could also help out the rebounding effort in the future, after cementing himself as the second-best rebounder on the team in 2020. While Braun saw some perimeter struggles last year, it is a good sign that his rebounding is continuing to emerge.

Improving stamina 

Falling behind early was a major factor in Kansas’ second round loss to USC during the 2021 NCAA Tournament and it played a role in the Jayhawks’ season as well.

During the 2020-21 season, one of the worst losses in school history came in an 84-59 home loss to the Texas Longhorns. The Jayhawks fell behind by as much as 25 points and just couldn’t seem to find a break.

Kansas was No. 3 in the nation at the time and their inability to hang in it with the Longhorns saw their 8-game winning streak snapped on their home court, ouch.

Building up more stamina and finding ways to stay in games will be crucial. The month of January knocked Kansas out of the AP Top 25, which was a major wake-up call for the Jayhawks.

Granted, KU made a strong recovery to a No. 11 spot before the postseason arrived. Kansas got back to business by finding consistency inside, something that will hopefully continue in 2021.

Returning senior forward David McCormack pulled a significant amount of the Jayhawks’ weight in the 2020-21 season and will be expected to contribute again during this coming season.

Despite his support, Kansas will need to find ways to recover and respond without heavily relying on support from McCormack.

This will be something Kansas should stress this summer and hopefully, we’ll see some changes when they hit the court in November.