The Kansas basketball starting lineup is arguably the best in the nation, but bench play will be a key factor for the Jayhawks this season.
Hall of Fame head coach Bill Self has been known to lack trust in his bench over the years, and that was more evident than ever during the 2022-23 Kansas Jayhawks season.
It was a significant factor why Kansas basketball did not make it far in the NCAA Tournament. When KJ Adams got into foul trouble early in the second half versus Arkansas, Coach Self was forced to turn to benchwarmers such as Zuby Ejiofor and Zach Clemence. And while Dajuan Harris was playing on a hobbled ankle, there was no backup who could fill in for him at a high level.
The Kansas basketball bench was historically bad last season
Even for a Kansas team, the bench was uncharacteristically bad last season. They averaged 10.89 bench points per game, which ranked 345th in the country — bad enough to land them in the bottom 10.
Joseph Yesufu was the leading bench scorer, posting an average of 4.1 points on 36.7/28.6/66.7 shooting splits. Ernest Udeh Jr. gave the Jayhawks a defensive boost when he was on the floor but never fully tapped into his potential. Fellow freshmen MJ Rice and Zuby Ejiofor were phased out of the rotation before conference play, and Bobby Pettiford’s subpar offense hurt the team badly when he played.
As far as bench points per game go, it marked the worst rank in the NCAA that Coach Self has ever had since he was hired by Kansas in 2003. But thankfully, the bench is poised to be much improved heading into this upcoming season.
KU’s bench has plenty of promising players
Kansas reeled in one of the strongest transfer classes of any school. They picked up Hunter Dickinson, Arterio Morris, Nick Timberlake, and Parker Braun. Most of the starting lineup is set, but even the bench will be a strong suit for the Jayhawks.
KU’s bench should consist of Timberlake, Elmarko Jackson, Parker Braun, Johnny Furphy, Jamari McDowell, and potentially Zach Clemence if they pull his redshirt. Timberlake or Jackson alone should be able to produce more than the entire bench did last year combined.
Timberlake is a transfer from Towson who averaged 17.7 points per game on 41.6% 3-point shooting last year. Heading into his super senior season, he decided to commit to Bill Self’s Jayhawks to round out his collegiate career. He should be a valuable asset to the Kansas bench with his outside shooting and underrated finishing ability.
Meanwhile, Jackson is a consensus top-20 recruit who was rated a 5-star by most recruiting outlets. He is an explosive athlete and plays ferocious defense on the other end. Analysts project him to play in the NBA one day, and fans could see why he was so highly touted with his strong performances during the Puerto Rico trip.
Furphy was unable to make it to the team’s vacation, but the Jayhawks’ newest commit wowed scouts at the NBA Academy Games this summer. The 6-foot-9 forward received interest from several premier programs, but ultimately went with Kansas.
While most of team’s production will come from returning players in the starting lineup and Dickinson, KU’s depth this season is yet another reason they are favorites to win the 2024 national championship.
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