Kansas basketball: 3 potential scenarios to round out the Jayhawks offseason

Jan 21, 2023; Lawrence, Kansas, USA; Kansas Jayhawks guard Dajuan Harris Jr. (3) drives along the base line around TCU Horned Frogs guard Rondel Walker (11) during the second half at Allen Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: William Purnell-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 21, 2023; Lawrence, Kansas, USA; Kansas Jayhawks guard Dajuan Harris Jr. (3) drives along the base line around TCU Horned Frogs guard Rondel Walker (11) during the second half at Allen Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: William Purnell-USA TODAY Sports
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Grant Sherfield #25 of the Oklahoma Sooners drives against Kevin McCullar Jr. #15 and K.J. Adams Jr. #24 of the Kansas Jayhawks (Photo by Ed Zurga/Getty Images)
Grant Sherfield #25 of the Oklahoma Sooners drives against Kevin McCullar Jr. #15 and K.J. Adams Jr. #24 of the Kansas Jayhawks (Photo by Ed Zurga/Getty Images)

Scenario No. 1: Leave the current roster as is.

This is the simplest option for Kansas. Ride it out with your ten scholarship players, eliminate the self-imposed scholarship limit, and hope there are no major injuries during the season. After all, Bill Self never runs a rotation consisting of more than eight — maximum nine — guys in it.

There’s a backup for each position with this lineup. A second unit consisting of Jamari McDowell, Elmarko Jackson, Arterio Morris, Marcus Adams Jr., and Parker Braun is very undersized, but that lineup would never play all at once anyways.

Dajuan Harris has never missed a game in his collegiate career and averaged 34.2 minutes per game in 2022-23, while Dickinson averaged over 30 minutes per game in his three-year tenure at Michigan. He missed two games in three years with the Wolverines. One thing about KU is that it has tons of durability in its lineup.

The bench will provide spurts of athleticism and excitement when the starters have to get a breather. Jackson and Morris both have big-play ability, and Adams Jr. offers sneaky good outside shooting. If Parker Braun isn’t good enough to serve as a consistent backup center, KJ Adams can always slide back to the 5, and Self can run small-ball if needed.

Even if Bill Self decides not to add another player to the roster, Kansas will be the No. 1 ranked team in college hoops with ten scholarship guys, regardless. That’s how good this team is going to be.