Social media flames Hunter Dickinson for poor effort in loss to Iowa State

Kansas basketball had a few encouraging performances after opening conference play with a home loss, but the team’s progress came to a halt at No. 2 Iowa State. For the third straight season, the Jayhawks failed to defeat the Cyclones in Hilton Coliseum.

In a game plagued by poor free throw shooting and turnovers, KU was exposed once again on the offensive side of the ball. Perhaps the most underwhelming performance came from center Hunter Dickinson, who scored just six points and turned the ball over four times on 3-for-10 field goal shooting. 

Hunter Dickinson received backlash after Kansas basketball’s loss

The 7-footer has been stuck in an offensive rut lately, shooting a measly 15-for-41 (36.6%) from the field over the Jayhawks’ past three contests. He is 0-for-5 from behind the arc during that span and has failed to get to the charity stripe for two consecutive games.

While poor shooting nights are bound to happen sometimes in basketball, fans didn’t appreciate his lack of hustle on the floor, especially after Joshua Jefferson missed a free throw and Dickinson lazily allowed a Cyclones offensive rebound. Kansas could have made it a two or one possession game with an ensuing bucket, but instead ISU hit a wide-open 3-pointer to ice the game.

Is this criticism warranted? We believe it is. Given all the media attention he gets from snarky comments and cocky celebrations, the former Michigan star has to back it up on the court. Dickinson often plays better with a chip on his shoulder, but that chip is nowhere to be found right now. Head coach Bill Self must find a way to instill more confidence into his top guy.

It goes without saying that the blame does not solely fall on KU’s All-American big man. The entire team, not just Dickinson, has to play better moving forward for the Jayhawks to right the ship.