Although the month of August just began today, there still isn’t much certainty surrounding Kansas basketball’s big man situation. The Jayhawks are awaiting an eligibility ruling on Serbian center Mihailo Muiki and have no clear timetable for Christian Reeves’ return from labrum surgery.
Someone is going to have to stand out to head coach Bill Self during this stage of the offseason, and that player appears to be Paul Mbiya. The Hall of Famer sang the Congolese center’s praises during a media appearance on Thursday.
“I certainly see Paul being a starter. He’s had a good summer. He’s improved a lot,” Self said about Mbiya. “He’s a lot more confident and playing bigger, so I really think the last week or so of summer, he showed us all something that we hadn’t seen yet since he’s been here.”
Is Paul Mbiya Kansas’ Next Starting Center?
Not only does Self think highly of Mbiya’s development heading into his sophomore season, but he also believes he could play a significant role for the Jayhawks this upcoming campaign. He has a fairly straightforward path to minutes to open the year.
Replacing all of Flory Bidunga‘s production isn’t plausible with the current big man unit the Jayhawks will be sending out. They’ll need role players like Mbiya to step up on the glass and inside the paint as a rim protector.
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Perhaps it’s too early for fans to pencil him into the starting lineup, but the tools are certainly there. Mbiya stands 6-foot-11 with a remarkable 7-foot-8 wingspan, and many NBA scouts believe he has a professional future if he can continue developing his raw talent.
His unimpressive freshman averages of 1.2 points, 1.4 rebounds, and 0.2 blocks per game leave much to be desired. However, he showed plenty of promise during KU’s NCAA Tournament run, where he averaged 6.0 points and 4.5 rebounds. Some fans even speculated that Self intentionally limited Mbiya’s role late in the regular season so he could unleash him as a secret weapon in March.
Although Reeves was expected to claim the starting center spot when he transferred to the Jayhawks from Charleston, his injury history may leave the coaching staff with some hesitation. Given that Mbiya already has a year in KU’s system under his belt and possesses freakish athletic tools, all signs point to him being a breakout candidate in 2026-27.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com/college/kansas as Bill Self Drops Potential Hint on Kansas Basketball’s Next Starting Center.
