Perhaps no other Kansas basketball player has benefited more from Darryn Peterson's continued absence than Jamari McDowell. The redshirt sophomore guard is finding his role on this team and playing well within that role.
Two years ago, McDowell struggled as a freshman. He averaged just 1.8 points and 7.2 minutes per game. His shooting was atrocious as he shot 30.8 percent from the field and 28.1 percent from three-point range. He was never comfortable in the offense or with his place within it.
That seems to have all changed. After some early-season shuffling of the starting lineup, McDowell has settled in as the fifth starter in games Peterson doesn't play. He has five starts under his belt now, and he is getting more and more comfortable in the offense.
Jamari McDowell is contributing to the Kansas basketball offense
The most obvious difference between where McDowell is now and how he played as a freshman is that he isn't forcing anything. He knows his role is that of a complementary player on offense and a glue guy on defense.
He isn't taking many shots, but those he does take are within the flow of the offense. On the season, he's attempted 38 total shots, just under three per game. Of those 38 shots, 33 have been three-pointers, and he's made an excellent 42.4 percent of them. Most of his attempts come when he is open and he isn't forcing anything.
He is creating his own shot very often, and he seldom drives to the rim, but against Davidson on Monday, early in the game, he did drive and made a nice shot off the backboard. He is capable of taking the ball to the basket, but he isn't nearly as comfortable doing it as he is shooting threes.
The great thing is that he doesn't have to do that often in this offense. There are other players to do that. Still, it is nice to see him succeed when he did go hard to the basket.
He had his best overall game against Davidson. He tallied 10 points, hitting two of the three shots from behind the arc, going one-for-one on his lone two-pointer, and cashing in on both of his free throws. He also recorded four assists, a rebound, a steal, and only one turnover in 23 minutes.
McDowell still has some work to do. He isn't all that comfortable handling the ball and sometimes makes some silly turnovers, but he has 18 assists on the season to only eight turnovers. While he is confident shooting from long range now, he needs to be more confident when he attacks the basket.
Defensively, he is solid, doing exactly what head coach Bill Self needs. He has some occasional brain burps, but that is going to happen with every player. Overall, he is scrappy on the defensive end and a big positive for the team.
Peterson will eventually return to the starting lineup, but it is obvious now that Self has confidence in McDowell, and he is trusted to play key minutes. McDowell may not have had the chance to shine like he has if Peterson didn't miss as much time as he has. He's come a long way, and he will be the first person off the bench in conference play.