Kansas basketball: Chris Johnson decommitting opens up roster spot for Jayhawks
Chris Johnson decommitting from Kansas basketball allows Bill Self to pursue another impactful transfer to round out next year’s roster.
The Kansas Jayhawks are left with just ten scholarship players on the 2023-24 roster now that Chris Johnson requested a release from his LOI. Johnson, a 4-star recruit who played at Montverde Academy, re-opened his recruitment hours before other incoming freshmen moved into residence halls.
As a senior, Johnson averaged 5.9 points and 3.6 rebounds per game for the Eagles, albeit on one of the nation’s best high school teams. The additions of Arterio Morris and Nick Timberlake from the transfer portal made his path to playing time very uncertain.
Some fans might be bummed out by Johnson’s decision to decommit, but the reality is that he was not going to be a factor on next year’s roster. It’s not as if the Jayhawks lost one of their most serviceable contributors.
Kansas could go into next season leaving the roster as is, which would entirely eliminate the university’s self-imposed scholarship limit of three over the next three years. However, as talented as this squad is, it is not the deepest of teams. Bill Self and his coaching staff can now add another player in the portal without feeling guilty about the restrictions.
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Grant Nelson, Zyon Pullin, Arthur Kaluma, and others are names the Jayhawks are interested in bringing in. KU’s guard depth is sufficient, but its wing depth is thin, signifying that Coach Self might try to bring in another forward.
Bringing in another player would be the best course of action for Kansas, no matter how impactful he might be. Injuries are inevitable during the regular season, which we saw last year when half of the bench was hurt. It’s crucial that the starting rotation does not get overworked again and the second unit is strong enough to hold its own, so even a mid-level transfer would benefit KU greatly.
Johnson could have developed into a solid player in a few years, but his decision to decommit was the best for both parties. He gets a fresh opportunity where he will be promised more playing time, and Kansas can continue to bolster its win-now roster.
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