Kansas Basketball Player Animal Edition: What would they be?

Welcome to the Kansas Basketball Player Animal edition. My daughter loves animals, which got us thinking: Who do our current players most emulate on the floor? I thought a lot of these were fairly obvious choices with a few that took a bit more consideration. Let’s hear some of your comparisons in the comments section.

Kansas Basketball: Animal Edition

Hunter Dickinson: Lion

Hunter is a Lion on the floor. He will score on you in the post, hit the mid-range jumper or step out and bury a 3 in your face. And he is going to tell you about it and let out a roar when he makes a big play. Like the lion being the king of the jungle, Big Hunt is the king of Jayhawks. As he goes we go. He has been dominant all year and is exciting to watch. Big Hunt has averaged 20.9 points per game, 12.3 rebounds, 2 assists, 1.5 blocks, and 1.4 steals a game. Feed the man and let the lion eat!

Kevin McCullar: Dog

Kev could have been a multitude of animals as he is an all-around player doing a lot of things on the floor this year. When it came down to it he was a flat-out DAWG! Like the best dog in the world, my little Maverick, Kev runs the show. Kev gets after it on the defense side of the floor, making it difficult on anyone he guards, diving all over the floor for loose balls and crashing the glass. He runs with that wreckless abandonment that a dog does and plays loose and free and has fun doing it. Kev is the guy you just cheer for and smile and watch him do all the dirty work and follow it up by hitting a clutch 3 on the other side of the floor. Flat out Dawg! Kevin has had a huge start to his year averaging 18.5 points per game, 7 rebounds per game, 5.1 assists, 1.1 steals, and 0.8 blocks per game. Keep doing your thing Kev!

Dajuan Harris: Mouse

Dajuan looks and plays like a mouse. He can be found scurrying around on the floor, harassing opponents’ ball handlers on defense. Mouse can play defense and is elite on that side of the floor. Juan can handle the rock and deliver the cheese to Big Hunt to finish. On offense, the mouse has had his struggles. He has averaged more turnovers per game than in any prior season and his shooting has been horrendous. Like a mouse trap snapping his shots have led to brick after brick. The mouse has season averages of 5.6 points per game, 2.8 rebounds, 7.3 assists, 0.9 steals, 0.5 blocks, and 2.5 turnovers. I hope the mouse figures out how to throw that cheese in the basket as the season progresses.

KJ Adams: Rhinoceros

KJ is an absolute beast. A quadzilla ready to attack unsuspecting guys at the rim and put them on a poster. KJ is like a rhino in that he is an absolute tank that can push and dominate his way around the rim. And if you mess with him you get the horn! KJ’s defense has been elite as he can switch off 1-5 and provides great versatility for our defense. While his offense game is limited he can finish at the rim and has a nice float game on the short pick and roll. KJ has season averages of 11.8 points per game, 3.6 rebounds, 2.5 assists, 1.1 steals, and 0.9 blocks.

Elmarko Jackson: Cheetah

Elmarko has elite athleticism and speed like a cheetah. Jackson has fit in so far this year as opposed to standing out, but he is young and still adapting to the college game and his role. He can do a little of everything and I hope that as the year continues his impact grows. Elmarko has season averages of 5.8 points per game, 1.5 rebounds, 3.4 assists, 1 steal, and 0.3 blocks.

Johnny Furphy: Kangaroo

Johnny has a pouch full of skills. Like the kangaroo, he shows he has hops, can finish around the rim, knock down the 3, dribble into a mid-range jumper, and can scrap and show the fight the kangaroo has. The down-under sensation has averaged a little under 15 minutes a game. He is the Jayhawks 4th leading scorer at this point in the season averaging 5.9 points per game. The kangaroo kid has also added 2.4 rebounds, 0.4 assists, and .5 steals per game.

Nicolas Timberlake: Sloth

Nicolas has come out of the gate in slow motion. His defense has been a step slow and his 3-point shooting has not shown its previous sniper abilities he had at Towson. Timberlake has averaged 11 minutes per game pouting in 3.6 points per game, 1.5 rebounds, and 0.6 assists. The sloth is my daughter’s favorite animal. Like the Sloth, it may take time to get it moving in the right direction but once it does it draws a crowd. Timberlake will catch fire at some point this season and help provide some shooting off the bench.

Jamari McDowell: Hyena

Jamari’s game is nothing to laugh about. He has game and has proved to be a valuable piece when called on. Like a hyena, he is a pack player, who can move his feet play great individual and team defense, and has the skills on the other side of the floor to hunt his own shot and knock down open looks. He scrambles around on defense and plays hard. I like his chances to increase his opportunities as the year continues. Jamari while making appearances in 6 games has averaged 12 minutes a game. He has averaged 3.3 points per game, 2.5 rebounds, 1 assist, .3 steals and .2 blocks a game.

Parker Braun: Giraffe 

This one sells itself. Parker is a tall dude who looks above the crowd. He may not be the headliner at the Zoo but everyone has to go by and see the giraffe. Parker comes in and plays his role. He plays tall blocks some shots plays D and can finish around the rim. Parker is averaging about 10 minutes per game thus far. He has averaged 3.3 points per game, 2.4 rebounds, and 1 block per game. Keep playing to that height big man.