Kansas limped to a 10-8 mark in Big 12 play last season, marking its worst league winning percentage (55.6%) since Roy Williams’ first season as coach in 1988-89. Beset by poor depth amid late-season injuries, the Jayhawks flamed out in the second round of the NCAA Tournament for the fourth time in their past five Big Dance appearances.
Sandwiched around that series of first-weekend exits is the 2022 national title, and 22nd-year coach Bill Self has assembled a roster that appears capable of returning the Jayhawks to a championship trajectory. While second-round NBA Draft picks Kevin McCullar and Johnny Furphy have departed, KU returns a high-end “big three” and welcomes the nation’s No. 3 transfer class to bolster its formidable veteran core.
When a knee injury hampered McCullar during the season’s second half, KU struggled offensively due to a lack of offensive playmakers. The absence of McCullar’s perimeter defense also hampered a cast of players that was ill-equipped to handle such an ill-timed injury.
The injury bug has already bitten the Jayhawks’ 2024-25 roster as sophomore guard Elmarko Jackson will miss the season with a torn patella tendon. But with a convoy of perimeter players arriving via the transfer portal, there should be several more levers that Self can pull this season to ensure his team is positioned to compete come March.
With the offseason player movement cycle finally complete it’s time to start breaking down the rosters of the sport’s top programs. For this installment, we’re taking a look at the Jayhawks and trying to decipher what their lineup could look like when the season begins.
Projected starting lineup
1. Dajuan Harris Jr.
6-2 | 175 | Gr.
If it feels like Harris has been around forever, it’s because he has. This is his sixth season with the Jayhawks, which includes a traditional redshirt in 2019-20 and the COVID-19 season of 2020-21. He became an indispensable member of the starting lineup over the past three seasons with his dogged on-ball defense and the offensive mantra of a traditional point guard. Harris has finished second in the Big 12 in assists per game each of the past two seasons while also forcing opponents to respect his outside shot (40.5% from 3-point range in 2022-23 and 38.4% in 2023-24). His game has limitations, as evidenced by the fact that he’s never averaged double figures. But when surrounded with high-end talent, he shines as a distributor and defensive tone-setter.
2. Zeke Mayo
6-4 | 185 | Sr.
Mayo won Summit League Player of the Year while averaging 18.8 points, 5.7 rebounds and 3.5 assists for a South Dakota State team that reached the NCAA Tournament. Now, the Lawrence native is coming home for his senior season. Mayo can play either guard position and hit 38.8% of his 3-pointers on heavy volume in his three seasons at SDSU. Look for Mayo to provide reliable minutes in the backcourt.
3. Rylan Griffen
6-6 | 190 | Jr.
Griffen played a pivotal role for an Alabama team that reached the Final Four last season, averaging 12.4 points on 48.1% 3-point shooting during the Crimson Tide’s five NCAA Tournament games. The outside shot is Griffen’s forte as 64.9% of his attempts came from beyond the arc in his sophomore season with the Crimson Tide. He’ll provide critical floor-spacing as Harris and Storr attack the basket. An obvious development area for Griffen is on defense after he rated last among Alabama’s rotation players in evanmiya.com‘s defensive performance rating. If he meets the challenge on that end, Griffen could legitimize himself as an NBA prospect.
4. K.J. Adams Jr.
6-7 | 235 | Sr.
Adams logged 68 starts over the past two seasons after playing a bit role off the bench for the Jayhawks’ 2022 national title team. He’s an ultra-versatile defender and insane leaper who can get off a push shot over nearly any defender, which makes him a threat from the high post. Adams also dished out 3.1 assists per game last season. If he could develop a 3-point shot, it would add a refreshing wrinkle to his game and to Kansas’ offensive attack. But even if he doesn’t, Adams will still be a reliable source of two-way efficiency and energy as an athletic power forward.
5. Hunter Dickinson
7-2 | 265 | Gr.
Dickinson averaged 17.9 points and 10.9 rebounds in his first season with Kansas after three years at Michigan. There’s 127 games worth of college tape on him at this point, but no amount of scouting and preparation makes it easy to stop a player with his combination of size and skill in the paint. Defensively, there are some limitations because of his mediocre mobility, and that’s unlikely to change. But where he can improve is at the free-throw line. He shot a career-worst 62.4% from the stripe last season, down over 10 percentage points from his previous worst at Michigan. That mark dipped to 59.7% against Big 12 foes and to just 51% after Feb. 1 of last season. A dislocated shoulder suffered late in the season didn’t help.
Bench
AJ Storr
6-7 | 205 | Jr.
With Kevin McCullar and Johnny Furphy departed, Kansas needed an offensive playmaker on the wing. It got a big one in Storr, who enjoyed a breakout sophomore season at Wisconsin. After beginning his career at St. John’s in 2022-23, he carried the Badgers with 16.8 points per game. Given the composition of KU’s roster, it’d be no surprise if he packs a scoring punch for the Jayhawks. Storr’s 3-point shooting percentage dipped to 32% as a sophomore after he hit 40.4% of them as a freshman. If he can split the difference for KU and shoot 35% or better from deep, it would be huge for a team that ranked 229th nationally at 33.2% from beyond the arc last season.
Flory Bidunga
6-9 | 220 | Fr.
Bidunga ranked as the No. 14 overall prospect in the Top247 Rankings for the Class of 2024, and the McDonald’s All-American should have ample opportunity to claim an early role off the bench. He’s a bit undersized but has great length and athleticism, which makes him something of a hybrid between Adams and Dickinson. His development will be key as he should be in line for a huge role during his sophomore season.
Jamari McDowell
6-4 | 180 | So.
McDowell logged 7.2 minutes per game as a freshman and will still be fighting for time on the court after the Jayhawks brought in some older perimeter players via the transfer portal. His best path to a steady role could be with impact defense as the Jayhawks lose a proven perimeter stopper in McCullar.
Shakeel Moore
6-1 | 190 | Gr.
With four seasons of substantive power conference experience at NC State and Mississippi State under his belt, Moore is a high-floor perimeter reserve. He shot a career-best 36.3% from beyond the arc for the Bulldogs last season. Moore’s addition doesn’t raise KU’s ceiling, but it does give the Jayhawks a modicum of depth they lacked last season.
Depth
Zach Clemence | 6-11 | 230 | R-Jr.
David Coit | 5-11 | 175 | Sr.
Rakease Passmore | 6-5 | 180 | Fr
Clemence returned to Kansas and redshirted last season after initially choosing to transfer to UC Santa Barbara following his sophomore season. With Parker Braun departed after logging 7.5 minutes per game in the frontcourt, perhaps Clemence can get some run. But he’ll have to contend with Bidunga’s talent and promise in the race for minutes. As an ultra-late addition to the roster, Coit may face an uphill battle for minutes. But after averaging 20.8 minutes for Northern Illinois last season, he clearly brings some offensive firepower to the table. Passmore ranked as the nation’s No. 49 overall prospect, per 247Sports. He’ll have to navigate a logjam of older perimeter players if he wants to crack the rotation as a freshman.
