Even though Kansas basketball has a plethora of talent on next year’s roster, Ernest Udeh Jr.’s decision to transfer hurts the team’s future.
While the headlines of the Kansas Jayhawks offseason include bringing in three transfers — one of them being the best on the market — it is also worth noting that eight players are transferring out of the program. With the news of Ernest Udeh Jr. entering the portal, KU’s big-man depth immediately thinned.
Udeh entered the portal for a fresh start and a chance to play more regularly. The second-highest-ranked recruit in Kansas’ 2022 recruiting class averaged 2.6 points and 1.8 rebounds as a freshman, serving as a spark plug off the bench with tons of defensive potential.
The next chapter of his career is bright, but his departure from the Jayhawks damages the outlook of KU’s roster for the next few years.
These are three ways that Udeh’s decision to transfer negatively impacts Kansas basketball.
1. The Jayhawks lose their center of the future.
Udeh was supposed to be the team’s big man in his third and fourth years. It is as simple as that. The plan was for Dickinson to spend a year in Lawrence and mentor Udeh to become a more savvy player.
Although it might be wishful thinking to assume there was ever a chance for Udeh to spend four years at Kansas, it certainly was not out of the question. He could have taken the David McCormack route to become a consistent contributor by his junior year.
Recruits come and go, but lately, they have only been going at Kansas. All five scholarship players to join the roster in 2022-23 are now off to the NBA or at a different school. The days of four and five-year players staying at one school might be over, and it is even more concerning for the Jayhawks, where players are not even staying for two years.
2. As good as Hunter Dickinson is, Udeh’s defensive potential was off the charts. Dickinson’s is not.
KU’s bench might have been dismal last season, but Udeh was the one bright spots. One aspect of his game that stood out was his level of defensive intensity whenever he stepped onto the floor.
His per 40 minutes defensive statistics in 2022-23 were 3.2 steals and 2.9 blocks. Udeh swatted four shots in 13 minutes played vs. Duke and recorded three steals in 14 minutes vs. TCU. Although he was constantly in foul trouble, Udeh had the potential to be an elite rim protector in the Big 12.
The Jayhawks no longer have a center who can play aggressively and not worry about racking up fouls. Even if they acquire another big man in the portal, Kansas does not have a Mitch Lightfoot-type player who is the bench’s defensive anchor. Hunter Dickinson is not known to lock up the opposing team’s big men, meaning KU might struggle mightily against dominant centers.
3. KJ Adams might have to play off the bench as KU’s backup big man rather than playing at the four.
We did not think the KJ Adams at center experiment would repeat this upcoming year, yet here we are. If Kansas lands Mackenzie Mgbako today, KJ’s role with the team is in question again.
KJ is the only big — if you want to call a 6-foot-7 forward a big — on the roster besides Dickinson. Mgbako is a hybrid forward, so he could play the four, leaving Kansas with no depth at the five spot. If KU does not bring in another center, Adams will presumably return to the bench.
Whereas the Jayhawks are deep at guard spots, the same cannot be said at other positions. Adding Hunter Dickinson set off a chain reaction of players transferring, and one might wonder how Dickinson might have affected KU’s roster for future years.
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