Kansas is replacing every starter from last season, but Bill Self believes the Jayhawks may be better equipped to share the offensive load.
Speaking Wednesday, Self said one of the biggest developments during summer workouts has been the team’s collective understanding of how it needs to play offensively. While he cautioned the Jayhawks are “nowhere close” to being a finished product, he has already seen noticeable growth from a roster featuring just two returning scholarship players.
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“I think we’ve had some individuals progress and even more importantly, I think we’ve kind of learned that there’s a way that we should play offensively to give us the best chance and I think the guys have all bought into that.”
Unlike last season, when Kansas relied heavily on a primary scoring option, Self expects a more balanced attack built around passing and ball movement.
“Last year, I actually believe from a scoring standpoint, you had a first and next second option in one guy. This year, I think we’ll be more balanced without question. I also think we have a collective group of better and willing passers.”
Self singled out freshman Tyran Stokes as a major reason for that optimism.
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“He’s about as good a passer I’ve ever been around,” Self said.
Although Stokes arrived in Lawrence as one of the nation’s top recruits, Self said two aspects of his game have stood out even more than expected.
“He can shoot the basketball. I mean, if that’s a weakness, we’re going to be in pretty good business. … The other thing, he’s an elite passer. He’s got great vision to the point where he should probably shoot more at times, but he’s a pass-first guy.”
Self added that the Jayhawks have exceeded his expectations as a perimeter shooting team throughout the summer.
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“We shot it a lot better this summer than what I probably even projected going into the summer. We’ve had some guys shoot the ball really well.”
He later pointed to Luke Barnett as one of the biggest surprises of offseason workouts.
“Maybe the nicest surprise we’ve had so far has been Luke Barnett. He hadn’t been good. He’s been terrific.”
While Kansas still has months before opening the regular season, Self believes the early signs point toward an offense built on balance, spacing and unselfish play rather than relying on a single star.
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