Last year continued to fit into a mold that Kansas fans have become a bit too familiar with.
Because for the fourth season in a row, the Jayhawks had gone from being ranked inside the top 10 to flaming out before reaching the Sweet 16.
Truth be told, last season’s squad sat up to be one of the nation’s best defenses, and they were. Despite playing in a talent-loaded Big 12, along with a stacked out-of-conference slate, the Jayhawks still allowed an opposing field goal rate of just 38.6%, good enough for No. 2 in the nation last season. That was a defense that was built around a stubborn Flory Bidunga with crafty guards all around and a freshman Bryson Tiller plying his trade.
Yet, when Kansas was on the attack, its efficiency took a big hit. The Jayhawks finished No. 149 in the nation with just a 45.1% field goal rate, and with only one player (Darryn Peterson) who finished with over 15 points per game last season.
This is where Dennis Parker Jr. comes into play.
Parker provides a crucial puzzle piece for a struggling offense
Looking past Parker’s 53-point outing against Coppin State (which is a hard thing to look past), Parker notched double-digits in 30 of his 32 games. On the season, the 6-foot-6 Parker averaged 18.3 points on an outstanding 48.4% field goal rate, which included a 37.7% mark from beyond the arc, along with 5.9 rebounds and 1.3 assists
Of course, we have to caveat that Parker did largely play against a non-high major schedule, so his points per game could be slightly watered down compared to last season, but in the four games Parker played against UNC, South Carolina, SMU and Notre Dame, he totaled scorelines of 23,10,18 and 19 points on a 23-53 mark, measuring out to a 43.4% field goal rate.
Earlier this month, when head coach Bill Self was asked to detail Parker’s role, Self hesitantly answered, “I have no idea. Dennis scored the ball well enough to get 53 at a college game. But he's inconsistent, too. I thought he was a really good available prospect, at the end for us, because we needed somebody that can score.”
Parker joins the Jayhawks after being rated by 247Sports as the nation’s No. 145 player and No. 21 small forward. Parker was graded as a 90-overall player. Kansas’ portal class is currently touted as the country’s 29th-best class. Parker is set to be joined by College of Charleston transfer Christian Reeves (90), Toledo guard Leroy Blyden Jr. (92) and Utah transfer power forward Keanu Dawes (93).
It is hard in college basketball not to see a drop-off in production between your starting five and the subs you bring in over the course of the game. While carving out a starting path for Parker may be a tall task, he represents a cure to that sloping offensive production that many teams will face when they are forced to look towards the bench.
More Kansas Basketball News
Add us as a preferred source on Google