The sophomore point guard has exhibited little to no improvement in 2022-23. With Dajuan Harris already announcing he would return next year, there is virtually no window for Bobby Pettiford to emerge as a consistent contributor.
Pettiford embraces the spirit of a true point guard. He always looks to pass first and has active hands as an on-ball defender. Unfortunately for him, he has not displayed enough qualities outside of being the quarterback of the offense, and Dajuan Harris is far better than him in that aspect.
247Sports had the Durham, North Carolina native as the best 96th best player in the Class of 2021. After initially committing to Louisville, Pettiford decided he wanted to play for Bill Self.
He might be a capable ball player, but he rarely conveys that on the court. He contributes nothing to the team’s ball movement, waiting at the top of the key while he waits for others to make a move. Also, being 6’ 1” makes him an inept rebounder.
For a player who needs to be the primary ball handler, Pettiford is particularly careless with the rock. His dribbling skills are subpar and he averages 1.2 turnovers in just 12.3 minutes per game.
Pettiford is 3-13 from three-point range in his 42 collegiate games. When he is on the court, he does not provide shooting, size, or any offensive capability for that matter. He has been a liability in every facet of basketball.
The only reason he sees minutes right now is due to KU’s lack of bench depth. Yesufu and Rice are the only guards who see bench time in this Kansas lineup.
Bobby Pettiford has to be better than that, especially if Joe Yesufu is going to give them nothing. There isn’t any other backcourt help coming off the bench at this point. They need him to give solid backup PG minutes.
— Rock Chalk Blog (@RockChalkBlog) March 4, 2023
He will be a junior next year, and it is hard to imagine that playing time will be any less scarce. Guards Elmarko Jackson and Chris Johnson are set to debut, who could very well steal some time from Pettiford.
His name is not the only one that will come up in transfer conversations. Other players such as Zach Clemence and Joseph Yesufu could also leave after this season. For now, Pettiford is a Jayhawk until further notice.
Should Pettiford return next year, he must show considerable improvements. The level of play we saw this year was not one of a Kansas-caliber point guard.