Through the Phog
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Kansas basketball: 4 things to like about Puerto Rico trip, 4 causes for concern

By Joshua Schulman

Feb 18, 2023; Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA; Michigan Wolverines center Hunter Dickinson (1) warms up before a game against the Michigan State Spartans at Crisler Center. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 18, 2023; Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA; Michigan Wolverines center Hunter Dickinson (1) warms up before a game against the Michigan State Spartans at Crisler Center. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports /
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Michigan Wolverines center Hunter Dickinson (1) Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports
Michigan Wolverines center Hunter Dickinson (1) Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports /

Thing to Like No. 1: Hunter Dickinson looks as good as advertised

After averaging 19 points in less than 27 minutes per game during the trip, it’s safe to assume that Dickinson will have one helluva season. Watching him dominate the paint was refreshing, especially since fans are less than a year removed from watching a team that virtually had no true center. He can step outside the 3-point line, but he doesn’t really need to when he’s overwhelming guys inside all game.

Dickinson made professional players look like they were the ones in college. At 7-foot-2, he’s far more nimble than I would have imagined. There are players in the Big 12 who are six, seven inches shorter than him and still less coordinated. If anything, he exceeded my expectations — and the calendar just flipped to August.

Call it an overreaction, but I’m a firm believer that if he starts off the year strong, a 20-point-double-double is in play for him. He will undoubtedly be the rock of this 2023-24 Kansas basketball squad and arguably the most talented big man of the Bill Self era.

(Side note: Please, Hunter, stay with us for two years.)

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