Kansas basketball fans do not need any more reminders that the 2024-25 season did not work out. The Jayhawks reconstructed their roster with a plethora of transfer additions and three returning starters, but the squad never came together in what turned out to be one of the worst KU hoops campaigns in decades.
An expected key contributor who failed to live up to his expectations was Rylan Griffen, who excelled at Alabama the previous year and helped guide the Crimson Tide to a Final Four appearance. He was underwhelming on both ends of the floor.
Griffen entered the transfer portal last month with hopes to finish off his college career strong. Many college basketball fans and analysts believe head coach Bill Self "misused" Griffen and did not play to his strength, which is his outside shooting. However, ESPN's Fran Fraschilla came to the defense of the Hall of Famer in a recent tweet:
"I’m seeing where Rylan Griffen was “misused” by @KUHoops and that he’ll be great next year at ——. Bill Self has “misused” very few players in 22 years. Jayhawks were DESPERATE for outside shooting last year. Seemed like a good kid. Wish him well."
I’m seeing where Rylan Griffin was “misused” by @KUHoops and that he’ll be great next year at ——. Bill Self has “misused” very few players in 22 years. Jayhawks were DESPERATE for outside shooting last year. Seemed like a good kid. Wish him well.
— Fran Fraschilla (@franfraschilla) April 19, 2025
Fran Fraschilla backs up Bill Self in tweet
It's hard to argue with Fraschilla here. Griffen's top attribute was his perimeter shooting, yet he missed wide open threes quite often. His 3-point percentage dipped from 39.2% in 2023-24 to 33.6% in Lawrence — not to mention his subpar point of attack defense, another aspect of his game that was supposed to be above average.
The Jayhawk faithful have split opinions about Fraschilla. He always complains about the Allen Fieldhouse referees and frequently disagrees with the sentiments of KU fans. However, those who watched Griffen this year can agree that is telling the truth.
Griffen had recently been in contact with Kentucky, but the two parties canceled a scheduled official visit. The most likely destination for him appears to be down in Florida at the University of Miami. Time will tell whether he improves next season, but let's not push the narrative that Griffen deserved more minutes or touches at KU.