Five logical takeaways from Kansas Jayhawks basketball's brutal loss to BYU
By Tyler Key
3. Bill Self needs to expand Jamari McDowell’s role and give him more minutes
As previously mentioned, Nicolas Timberlake has been starting in place of the injured Kevin McCullar Jr. and to put it frankly, it hasn’t gone well. His performances have consisted of a few promising moments and highlights, but mostly lackluster play, missed threes, mental lapses, and questionable defense. Despite the woes, Timberlake still played 33 minutes in the loss against BYU, even after injuring his lower-back/tailbone in the first half. Meanwhile, Jabari McDowell only played 13 minutes.
McDowell took (and made) his only shot against the Cougars which was also Kansas’ only made 3-pointer through the first 36:52 of the game. Additionally, he has now made a 3-pointer in six of the seven games in which he has played 10+ minutes. McDowell has also proven to be a very capable defender for a freshman, navigating screens well, playing solid on-ball defense, and contesting shots well, but is averaging a measly 6.1 minutes per game this season.
Bill Self may be hesitant to provide consistent minutes to yet another freshman, considering he is already playing Jonny Furphy and Elmarko Jackson 43.7 minutes per game. Regardless, the circumstances appear dire enough that McDowell should be getting some extended minutes down the stretch of this season, especially if McCullar Jr. remains out.