Dajuan Harris had an unusual yet effective performance for Kansas basketball against NC Central. The point guard later took his thoughts to social media.
Kansas Jayhawks star Dajuan Harris has never been known for his scoring ability. The 6-foot-1 pure point is widely recognized as one of the top facilitators in the country and a pass-first player. However, the extent to which he played his role as the team’s playmaker last night was extreme — even for his standards.
Kansas basketball opened the regular season with a 99-56 victory over NC Central in their long-anticipated 2023-24 debut. But for the first time since his freshman season, Harris did not attempt a field goal or a free throw.
His final stat line includes a goose egg in the scoring column, though Harris was still making his presence felt on the court. He contributed ten assists, four rebounds, and one steal. We’ll call it a single-double for his sake.
Some Kansas basketball fans were left wondering how Harris was left without a shot attempt in a game where the Jayhawks were one point away from eclipsing the century mark. Harris’ rebuttal on his Instagram story last night will leave you cracking up.
Dajuan Harris 😂 pic.twitter.com/7I6OZUxR2U
— Joshua Schulman (@Josh_Schulman04) November 7, 2023
This showing by Harris can be considered an outlier, as he played limited minutes in the similar contests that he had in the 2020-21 season — he appeared in no more than 10 minutes in any of those outings.
In the offseason, Michigan transfer Hunter Dickinson told the point guard, “Man, if you don’t average ten assists this year, it’s gonna be your fault.” Through one game, that’s what he’s on pace for, so that accolade is still in the cards for Harris. Surprisingly enough, only two of Dickinson’s eight baskets were assisted by Harris, but the duo should continue to build a rapport as the season progresses.
Hey, if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. In games like yesterday where Dickinson is dominating the paint and Kansas is sinking all of its 3-pointers, Harris’ only job on the offensive end is to set up opportunities for his teammates. And it seems he’s more than happy to never shoot the ball again as long as his squad comes out victorious.