Through the Phog
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Kansas basketball: Strengths and weaknesses of the rebuilt Jayhawks roster

By Kyle Jones

LUBBOCK, TEXAS - DECEMBER 17: Head coach Bill Self of the Kansas Jayhawks fist bumps guard Dajuan Harris Jr. #3 during the first half of the college basketball game against the Texas Tech Red Raiders at United Supermarkets Arena on December 17, 2020 in Lubbock, Texas. (Photo by John E. Moore III/Getty Images)
LUBBOCK, TEXAS - DECEMBER 17: Head coach Bill Self of the Kansas Jayhawks fist bumps guard Dajuan Harris Jr. #3 during the first half of the college basketball game against the Texas Tech Red Raiders at United Supermarkets Arena on December 17, 2020 in Lubbock, Texas. (Photo by John E. Moore III/Getty Images) /
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Dajuan Harris Jr. #3 of the Kansas Jayhawks (Photo by Chris Covatta/Getty Images)
Dajuan Harris Jr. #3 of the Kansas Jayhawks (Photo by Chris Covatta/Getty Images) /

Strength — Guard Play

The amount of viable options that Bill Self will have in the backcourt for the coming season is almost absurd. Dajuan Harris returns and will likely be one of the top point guards in the country (again). He will be joined by all new faces and, assuming at least a few of them live up to expectations, will only help Harris be more effective during his time on the floor.

Nick Timberlake transferred in from Towson for his final season and might be the key to this offense performing at its peak. He shot over 40 percent from behind the arc in both of his previous two seasons, which will be greatly needed for a starting lineup that may be lacking in the floor spacing department. With how hesitant Self is to play young guys early, he would be my pick to start alongside Harris in the backcourt.

Arterio Morris will likely be his main competitor for the starting spot, at least early in the season. Morris came in from Texas after a rather uninspiring freshman season. However, he was a top-20 recruit coming out of high school and was the second-ranked true point guard in the class. If anyone can get the most out of Morris, it’s a program that features an already elite point guard and a coach who many consider to be the best in the country.

Elmarko Jackson has a chance to become the much-needed bench scorer that the successful KU teams have had in the past (Remy Martin in 2022, Sherron Collins in 2008, etc.). He may even become the best scoring guard on the team, as Harris is certainly a facilitator at heart. If he can be a productive scorer as the season goes on, this team’s ceiling is a national championship.

If those four aren’t enough, the Jayhawks also have two more freshmen coming in, both of which are four-star recruits. Jamari McDowell and Chris Johnson may have an uphill battle for playing time this year, but it certainly wouldn’t be the first time that a lower-ranked recruit outplayed someone ahead of them on the preseason depth chart. Just look at the 2019 class, which featured 64th-ranked Tristan Enaruna, 94th-ranked Dajuan Harris, and 127th-ranked Christian Braun. It wouldn’t surprise me if one of these guys ends up redshirting this season, but it also wouldn’t surprise me if one of these guys ends up making a positive impact on the team. Either way, the Jayhawks will have no shortage of guards to throw at their opponents.

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