If Kansas had missed out on five-star, No. 1 overall prospect Tyran Stokes, fellow five-star 2026 recruit Taylen Kinney would probably be the darling freshman for the Jayhawks. Instead, that honor has been given to Stokes, who impressed in his official debut at Kansas. Kinney, on the other hand, got the start over Toldeo transfer Leroy Blyden Jr., but that may not be the case all season.
Kinney played more minutes in every exhibition for the Jayhawks, and honestly outplayed Blyden to earn the starting role. However, when it came to a real game, Blyden showed up and showed out off the bench, impressing not just the fans but also head coach Bill Self.
"I thought he was the best player in the game," Self said. "I thought he was really good."
"I thought he was the best player in the game."
— Amy Acevedo (@amyiacevedo) November 3, 2026
High praise for Leroy Blyden Jr. from Bill Self. The sophomore had 15 points tonight, shooting 67% from the floor.@KSNTSports | #KUHoops pic.twitter.com/FbcltZqCzS
Blyden played two more minutes than Kinney and scored 10 more points, finishing the night with 15, tied for the second-leading scorer with Stokes. While Kinney has the talent, he is still young and may need a bit more time to develop, which is where Blyden can easily step in and help out.
Taylen Kinney might want to consider the Cayden Boozer route at Kansas
Blyden is also a young player, but having a year under his belt in college basketball is more than Kinney has, which is helpful at this level. Blyden was a star at Toledo, averaging 16.4 points per game last season, 4.3 assists, and 4.0 rebounds. His experience on the court and performance against Fordham could earn him the starting role over Kinney.
It isn't the end of the world for Kinney to be the first man off the bench for the Jayhawks. After struggling with bench play last season, Self needs guys he can trust to bring in at any point in the game, and Kinney can be that guy.
With so many freshmen having one-and-done seasons, like Stokes is expected to have, that might not be the route Kinney should take this year. Sure, he is a five-star player out of high school, but he might need more time to develop. Just looked at Duke's Cayden Boozer.
Boozer was a five-star recruit coming out of high school alongside his twin brother Cameron Boozer. Both chose to play for Duke, and while his brother chose the one-and-done route and ended up being the No. 3 pick in the 2026 NBA Draft, Cayden chose to stay with the Blue Devils for another season.
Taking that time for another year at the college level doesn't make Cayden a failure or mean that he couldn't have competed at the NBA level, but it allows him to hone his craft and get better so he can shine at the NBA level when he chooses that route.
That choice isn't a bad one whatsoever, and it might be what Kinney needs to do. While Kinney has the talent to probably be a late first-round pick in the 2027 NBA Draft, taking another season at the college level, where he could be a huge star for the Jayhawks next season, especially wth the turnover Kansas will have, might be what is best for his career.
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