Kansas basketball: Way-too-early lineup predictions for the 2023-24 Jayhawks
By Kyle Jones
Shooting Guard
Josh: Primo Spears
I’d love to land Timberlake. I think he is the perfect bucket-getter and outside shooter that this team could use alongside Harris. But considering he did not commit to the school after his on-campus visit, I have my doubts about him becoming a Jayhawk. He also played at a low-level mid-major school for five seasons and struggled against the more challenging competition. A small sample size, but not impressive nonetheless.
Spears makes a ton of sense for Kansas. He is slightly bigger than Harris (6’3″, 185 lbs) but is the ideal guy for the two-point guard combination that Bill Self used to run a few years back. The transfer from Georgetown included Kansas in his final four list of schools, and the final decision seems to be between KU and fellow Big 12 school TCU.
He averaged 16.0 points and 5.3 assists per game as a sophomore with the Hoyas. Unlike Timberlake, Spears has excelled against top-notch competition, scoring a career-high 37 points against Xavier this season. Although he would have to cut back on shot attempts under stricter coaching, Bill Self could make him a terrific player by his senior year. An average of 10-12 points and 4 assists is a reasonable projection if he cracks the starting lineup.
Kyle: Nicolas Timberlake
One major issue for the KU roster is the lack of returning scoring and perimeter shooting. With Gradey Dick and Jalen Wilson leaving, the team is losing nearly half its scoring and 61 percent of its outside contributions from last season. Even if Kevin McCullar were to return for another season, the team is desperate for shot-making. Insert Nick Timberlake.
The soon-to-be super senior poured in nearly 18 points per game last year for Towson while shooting a blistering 41.6 percent from outside. That is two birds with one stone as far as KU’s needs are concerned. He likely won’t go from Towson to KU and still put up those kinds of numbers, but if he can score double-digit points while keeping his outside efficiency around the 38-40 percent range, he will be a very valuable weapon for the Jayhawks.