Kansas basketball projected 2023-2024 starting lineup

Shooting Guard — Arterio Morris

The question of who will fill the 2 spot is among the most controversial topics for Jayhawks fans. It could be Elmarko Jackson, Nick Timberlake, or Morris. The reason I think Morris will get the nod is not only because of his experience in Big 12 basketball, but also due to him being capable of just about anything on the floor.

His main assignment for Kansas will be to take the load off Harris on both ends of the court. He can jump out of the gym and shoot the three-ball adequately, but he’s also capable of terrific on-ball defense and playmaking. Having a guard with similar abilities to Harris should make his job easier, as he needed to do just about everything for Kansas last year.

Morris’ defense is as pesky as Dajuan Harris’ or Kevin McCullar’s. It was his specialty when he played for the Texas Longhorns as a freshman. He and Dajuan will form one of the best defensive tandems in the country, and pairing that with McCullar and KJ Adams means opposing teams might not eclipse more than 60 points in most games.

I’m a big fan of what Timberlake brings to the table offensively, but I’m not entirely bought into the concept of Bill Self playing someone with defensive concerns 30+ minutes per game. I think he’ll adapt an Isaiah Moss-like role with the team off the bench, shooting the three-ball and getting his own bucket if needed.

Meanwhile, Jackson offers a similar skill set to Morris with less of an outside shot. Morris will likely come out of the initial practices a more complete player than him, especially with his prior understanding of college ball. It is hard to believe that a player like Arterio transferred to Kansas without believing he could crack the starting rotation. This pick could change over the course of the season, but at the very least, it is my prediction for game one.