Two players that Kansas basketball will be counting on this season are recovering from injuries and look to be on the mend. According to Michael Swain of 247Sports, head coach Bill Self indicated that both Elmarko Jackson and Bryson Tiller should be ready for the season.
According to Swain, Self said that Jackson was at 100 percent and Tiller would be within the next month or so. That is excellent news for KU fans.
While it is too early to know what each of those players’ roles will be for the upcoming season, it is easy to speculate.
How will Elmarko Jackson and Bryson Tiller contribute to this KU basketball team?
This will be Jackson’s third year in the program. As a freshman, he struggled at times and didn’t seem to advance ass the season progressed. He struggled to shoot effectively, especially from behind the three-point line, hitting on just 26.7 percent of his attempts.
He took a medical redshirt last season after injuring his knee last summer. Despite having to sit out the year, Jackson looked to be taking on a leadership role from the bench, as he often encouraged his teammates and talked to them on the sidelines. He might also be more comfortable as a team leader going into this season, especially compared to his freshman year.
While his injury certainly prevented him from participating in basketball activities in practice last year, he had the opportunity to watch and learn during practices and games. He should be more confident in Self’s system and know what the head coach wants from him.
Tiller joined the team in January, though he was unable to participate in practice due to an ongoing ankle issue. Like Jackson, he was able to observe practice and games from the bench and hopefully, get a jump on learning Self’s system.
Tiller is a player fans should be excited to watch develop at Kansas. He has length and size, and you can envision him as a stretch four or even a stretch five. He could play around the perimeter some, like Hunter Dickinson did over the last two seasons, only with more athleticism. However, he probably won't be able to match the departed Dickinson's polish right away.
Both players should compete for significant playing time. While Jackson will need his experience within the program to compete in a crowded backcourt, Tiller is one of only three players on the current roster who can be considered an interior player. While Flory Bidunga will get most of the playing time inside, Tiller will get plenty of minutes because of the team’s lack of depth in the frontcourt.
The fact that both are close to fully recovered from their injuries is indeed good news for the Kansas basketball team. Both will be needed in the upcoming season.