Kansas basketball: Way-too-early lineup predictions for the 2023-24 Jayhawks

Bench

Josh: Elmarko Jackson, Ernest Udeh Jr., Marcus Adams Jr., Arterio Morris, Zuby Ejiofor, Kyle Cuffe Jr., Chris Johnson

It might be pessimistic to believe KU’s five-star recruit will not start, but Bill Self does not give playing time out to just anybody. You must be on a different level to be a freshman and immediately exert yourself into the starting lineup. With that said, Jackson is the real deal. He is insanely athletic for a guard and has the potential to develop a consistent outside shot. If KU doesn’t land another guard in the transfer portal, he and Harris could very well be KU’s backcourt tandem.

As for Udeh Jr., he simply will not have room to be a starter if the Dickinson acquisition materializes. Staying an extra year under one of the nation’s top big men could put him in line for a monster junior year. Udeh showed flashes last season but is still a way to go from being a starting-caliber center. I am thrilled to see what Marcus Adams Jr. can do next season and believe he will be one of the better outside shooters on the bench. He did reclassify a year, so Adams could see some early-season jitters while adjusting to college ball.

If you are not familiar with Arterio Morris, he is a guard from the University of Texas who recently entered the transfer portal. He averaged 4.6 points and played every game off the bench with the Longhorns. Four transfers seems crazy for a Bill Self team, but they need to find players somewhere. Morris is a respectable three-point shooter, and Kansas was involved in his recruitment out of high school. The Jayhawks could emerge as a potential suitor for the nation’s former No. 1 ranked point guard in the Class of 2022.

Assuming that Zuby will return while being under the wing of KJ Adams, Hunter Dickinson, and Ernest Udeh Jr. might be wishful thinking. In the new age of college basketball, most guys would prefer to transfer out of a challenging situation to pursue the best playing time scenario and NIL deal rather than put in the work and win their spot in the rotation. But Ejiofor gives me a different vibe than other players. He always was so positive on the bench and seems like a genuine person that is willing to do whatever it takes. Perhaps it is because of my personal predisposition to him, but I say that Zuby rides it out with Kansas for at least one more season.

Cuffe Jr. has had a disastrous start to his Kansas tenure. Despite being a part of the program for 2+ years, he will be considered a redshirt freshman in 2023-24. He sat out KU’s national championship-winning season in 2022 and tore his MCL early on in this season. With a loaded class of guards coming in, he might decide to head elsewhere, but I think he would have done so already if he wanted to leave Kansas. He could become the second guard off the bench for the Jayhawks. Meanwhile, Johnson is the school’s second-highest-rated prospect in the Class of 2023. He is a raw talent who still needs to fill out his frame. Some people think he could have a sizeable role on this team, but he would have to prove himself pretty quickly to carve out some minutes. Worth noting: I have Jamari McDowell redshirting, so he would not be on the roster.

Kyle: Harrison Ingram, Elmarko Jackson, Ernest Udeh Jr., Marcus Adams Jr., Chris Johnson, Jamari McDowell, Zuby Ejiofor

Assuming they bring in at least a couple of transfers and assuming at least a couple of the freshmen live up to their hype, the 2023 team should have a significantly better bench than the 2022 team had. Ingram would be my choice for the starting small forward spot if McCullar decides to stay in the NBA Draft. He is a long and well-built wing that can contribute in a multitude of ways. He doesn’t do anything well, but he does a lot of things pretty well. I would be surprised if they don’t try to get Jackson a lot of minutes alongside Harris because I don’t think Harris will be off the court enough to get Jackson the point guard minutes he should get. Those two could be a fearsome duo next year.

Udeh started to show his worth towards the tail end of last season, and could still find his way into the starting lineup if Dickinson doesn’t commit to KU. I don’t think they would go with the two big lineups without that depth, but it’s a possibility. Regardless, Udeh’s rim protection and ability to switch on defense make him a valuable asset. Adams may be a bit of a work in progress early in the season, as he is a young freshman after reclassifying to the 2023 class. However, his skill set is a valuable one, as he can score from every level on offense and is the perfect size to play multiple positions on the floor.

Johnson and McDowell will likely compete for the third and fourth guard spots in the rotation unless Self brings in more than just one transfer to fill the backcourt void. While there are plenty of examples of lower-ranked players outplaying the top recruits, I would guess that those two will see limited minutes, and one of them may even redshirt.

Zuby is an interesting one. I could very easily see him transferring out if Dickinson decides to come to Kansas. He would be the fourth big man in the rotation and likely in line for another year of little to no playing time. If Dickinson goes elsewhere, Zuby could stick around and try to beat out one of the other two big men (he was getting about the same minutes as Udeh before his foot injury). I would love to have Zuby stick around for depth, but if Dickinson coming in means Zuby leaving, I would make that trade in a heartbeat.

The only place my bench differs from Josh’s (aside from him including another transfer) is Kyle Cuffe. He has yet to make any sort of announcement, but he still has a month to do so. He could very well be waiting to see what KU brings in through the transfer portal. If they bring in one or two guys, he would find himself in a heck of a competition for playing time. Three of the four incoming freshmen are guards and a couple of transfers may be too much for Cuffe to want to compete with. I do think at least one transfer comes in and that will be enough for him to go somewhere else with a better opportunity for playing time.