Kansas basketball: Remy Martin’s commitment is a game-changer

After weeks of searching and missed opportunities on several high school and transfer prospects, Kansas basketball head coach Bill Self has finally found his playmaker.

Arizona State transfer Remy Martin announced his commitment to Kansas yesterday, giving the Jayhawks a desperately needed leader and scoring threat in the backcourt. Martin is the number one rated transfer available this offseason according to ESPN’s transfer rankings for 2021-22.

As a point guard at Arizona State, Martin averaged 19.1 points per game each of the last two seasons and approximately 4 assists. He also shot over 43% from the field and over 33% from deep each of the last two seasons, while averaging over 77% from the free-throw line.

Coach Self can now pair Martin with Drake Transfer Joseph Yesefu – forming a formidable, aggressive backcourt. Both Martin and Yesefu get after it and demonstrate that toughness quality that Self admires.

What makes Martin’s commitment so important is that he perfectly fills the last remaining void this team has going into the season.

This team has depth, it has veteran big men, it has talented wings and forwards, good incoming freshmen, but what it doesn’t have is an experienced point guard running the show – until now.

Last year, there were times when Kansas just needed someone to take over a game and get a bucket, but that guy wasn’t on the roster. Marcus Garrett could drive and get a contested layup to fall now and then, but outside of him there was no one Self could rely on.

Martin is that guy. He’s not afraid to take the big shot and he’s not afraid to put his team on his back when they need him. You need that type of player come March and it’s players like Martin who lead teams to national championships.

You couldn’t ask for a better fit for this team and Coach Self than Remy Martin. He embodies everything Self loves in a point guard and everything Self needs for this team to reach its potential. Toughness, shooting ability, leadership, it’s all there.

Martin has said he wants to try his shot at the pros, but the majority of mock drafts and top player boards don’t have his name listed, so odds are he will be a Jayhawk.

With Martin on board and if Jalen Wilson and Ochai Agbaji pull their names from the NBA draft, Kansas is easily looking at a preseason top-five team in the country and one of the clear-cut favorites to cut down the nets in New Orleans.