Through the Phog
Fansided

Kansas basketball: 5 things worth monitoring during Late Night in the Phog scrimmage

By Joshua Schulman

Kansas coach Bill Self enters Allen Fieldhouse for Late Night in the Phog Friday night .
Kansas coach Bill Self enters Allen Fieldhouse for Late Night in the Phog Friday night . /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
5 of 6
Next
ANN ARBOR, MICHIGAN – FEBRUARY 26: A rear view is pictured of Hunter Dickinson #1 of the Michigan Wolverines against the Wisconsin Badgers at Crisler Arena on February 26, 2023 in Ann Arbor, Michigan. (Photo by Nic Antaya/Getty Images)
ANN ARBOR, MICHIGAN – FEBRUARY 26: A rear view is pictured of Hunter Dickinson #1 of the Michigan Wolverines against the Wisconsin Badgers at Crisler Arena on February 26, 2023 in Ann Arbor, Michigan. (Photo by Nic Antaya/Getty Images) /

4. Rim protection

Hunter Dickinson isn’t known for his defense. In fact, the 7-foot-2 center was often considered a defensive liability at Michigan. However, I’m a firm believer that the coaching staff will be able to unlock some of his defensive potential with the Jayhawks.

The Virginia native is the tallest player Bill Self has ever coached at KU, and he is a defensive-oriented basketball mind. You have to imagine that he tries pulling some strings to use Dickinson’s height to the team’s advantage.

Across his three years in Ann Arbor, his blocks per game numbers were 1.4, 1.5, and 1.8, respectively. He could definitely increase that to 2+ if he learns to get better angles on driving offensive players and improves his footwork. Hopefully, he can send back a few shots his Jayhawk teammates direct toward him.

Home/Kansas Jayhawks Basketball