In mid-June, the Kansas basketball roster looked solid but unspectacular outside of super-frosh Darryn Peterson and returning sophomore Flory Bidunga. In Particular, there was a lack of depth in the interior behind Bidunga.
Then, as the month was waning, head coach Bill Self added two more freshmen on back-to-back days. Guard Kohl Rosario re-reclassified from the class of 2026 to the class of 2025, making him eligible for this year’s squad.
A day later, the program added an even more significant player when center Paul Mbiya joined the Jayhawks. Mbiya, who is from the Congo, has experience in a U21 league in Europe that should help speed up his learning curve under Self.
Why was Paul Mbiya’s addition so crucial to Kansas basketball?
Before Mbiya’s signing, the only depth behind Bidunga were freshmen Bryson Tiller and Samis Calderon. Tiller will settle in as a stretch four, and Calderon more of an interior four. Adding Mbiya allows both to develop without being relegated strictly as Bidunga’s backups. Both will have more opportunities to expand their skill sets.
It also gives Self a powerful one-two punch, with Bidunga starting and Mbiya coming off the bench to spell him. It wouldn’t be surprising to see both big men in at the same time, depending on situations and matchups. At times last season, Self played both Bidunga and the now-departed Hunter Dickinson at the same time.
While Self tends to play his starters over 30 minutes in most games, Mbiya gives the coach the luxury of keeping Bidunga’s minutes more manageable. If KU can keep Bidunga’s minutes between 22 and 25 per game, he should be fresher down the stretch. That will leave plenty of playing time for Mbiya and prevent him from getting overloaded too early in the season.
Of course, Tiller and Calderon should also get some rotation minutes, especially in the non-conference portion of the season. Both should get opportunities to prove themselves and earn minutes, further taking the pressure off of Bidunga and whoever mans the fourth spot in the starting lineup.
Outside of Peterson and Bidunga, the other three starting spots seem to be open. It will be interesting to see who steps up and earns those spots. There could even be a scenario where Tiller or Calderon starts, or even Mbiya starts at center, Bidunga at the four, with the other two big freshmen spelling them in different ways.
Regardless, adding Mbiya opens up numerous possibilities for various lineup combinations and provides more flexibility to mix and match according to matchups. That added depth to the interior makes this overall roster look much better now than it did before.