Leroy Blyden Jr. is making the most of his opportunity at Kansas with Melvin Council Jr. sidelined

Kansas was hit with some tough injury news just one day before the Jayhawks were set to play their biggest game of the young 2026-2027 season. Fifth-year senior Melvin Council Jr. sustained a foot injury in practice that will leave him out at least until conference play begins.

While the news isn't great, Council had only been back with the Jayhawks for about a month, so replacing him was something Kansas had been prepared for in any capacity. The best replacement for Council was Toledo transfer Leroy Blyden Jr., who took over the starting position.

Blyden made the best of a bad situation, having to fill in for an injured teammate, and was a big part of the Jayhawks' win over Kentucky. While his stat line may not look like he contributed much with just eight points, one rebound, one assist, and one steal, the tape tells a better story of Blyden's contributions against the Wildcats.

There were times in the game when Blyden was clearly mismatched on defense, guarding guys like Milan Momcilovic and Zoom Diallo, who had way more size than the 6-foot-1 guard. However, even on those mismatches, Blyden didn't make it easy as a defender, forcing those guys to take tough contested shots, getting in the passing lanes, and frankly just being a pest.

Leroy Blyden Jr. could be Bill Self's best pickup in the transfer portal not named Trey Kaufman-Renn

Obviously, the best pickup for Bill Self in the transfer portal was Trey Kaufman-Renn, who came to Kansas on a temporary injunction, giving him one final year of eligibility for the time being. However, Blyden is proving to be probably the other best pickup early in the season.

Coming from a smaller program like Toledo, it was a question as to whether Blyden would adjust well to not just Power Conference basketball, but blue-blooded Kansas basketball. Well, in his sophomore season, just three games in, Blyden is averaging 9.7 points per game, 1.0 rebound, 2.0 assists, and 2.0 steals.

Sure, those numbers don't jump off the page, and they aren't nearly as good as his freshman year at Toledo, but he was the main guy there. At Kansas, he is more of a role player, and he is doing a dang good job playing his role for the Jayhawks.

Blyden has been, as mentioned before, simply a pest on defense, especially in ways that don't show up on the stat sheets. To play defense as well as Blyden did against guys who clearly outmatched and outsized him and still walk away the winner says a lot about how good a defender Blyden is.

In three games, Blyden leads the team with three steals and even has a block in his stats. For a 6-foot-1 guard with great speed and a solid shot, that is fantastic and something Self will definitely use as the season continues.

With Council being out for at least the next month, Blyden is going to get a lot of time on the court, which is great for when Self needs him in the bench rotation. It is also great when thinking about next season and how experienced Blyden will be for the Jayhawks.

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