2024/2025 Lineup

[randylahey]

I don't know if he's going to play much, but Zach Clemence put on some serious muscle during his time at KU. Dude looks solid in some recent pictures from practice.

I think he plays this year. It's his 4th year in the program, and he's 6'10 and can shoot. He's got a lot of competition for minutes tho. He's just got to defend at a higher level

[randylahey]

Well, I think we went from him needing to be a PF to him being more useful as a backup 5. Maybe I am wrong and Bidunga is going to be fine as both a backup 5 and backup 4? It's probably way too early for me to have much of a feel for Bidunga and how (if?) he will be utilized in a major way this year.

I wouldn't count on bidunga being here more than 1 year. He's an athletic specimen. I see his role as being off the bench. When he comes in, don't think of it as bidunga 'checking in the game, but bidunga being 'unleashed'

High energy, high motor, high athleticism. Dunks, blocks, lob dunks, rebounds, more dunks, running the floor, and chaos. But it'll be a big game changer at times having a specimen like that. Bidunga will be frustrating at times but fun as hell, and improve as the season progresses

[jfish26]

I don't know if he's going to play much, but Zach Clemence put on some serious muscle during his time at KU. Dude looks solid in some recent pictures from practice.

I think he plays this year. It's his 4th year in the program, and he's 6'10 and can shoot. He's got a lot of competition for minutes tho. He's just got to defend at a higher level

Can he shoot, though? Or is he one of those guys that shoots a very pretty 25%?

[DeletedUser]

Curious to see if he's going to be used at the 4 or the 5.

How ready Bidunga is will play a role in that.

[jfish26]

My hope is that we’re four-out pretty much any time we don’t have both KJ and Hunter in.

[DeletedUser]

My hope is that we’re four-out pretty much any time we don’t have both KJ and Hunter in.

Same.....but is he the 4? Is he the 5? Or is he on the bench?

Is Bidunga capable defensively of being the lone big where he has more complicated switching/hedging assignments?

Bidunga is raw. I wouldn't be shocked if he has trouble getting on the court this year. I also wouldn't be shocked if he plays 15mpg.

[jfish26]

My hope is that we’re four-out pretty much any time we don’t have both KJ and Hunter in.

Same.....but is he the 4? Is he the 5? Or is he on the bench?

Is Bidunga capable defensively of being the lone big where he has more complicated switching/hedging assignments?

Bidunga is raw. I wouldn't be shocked if he has trouble getting on the court this year. I also wouldn't be shocked if he plays 15mpg.

Yeah, I have *no idea*.

I am just annoyed in advance about what will happen to our offense any time Hunter is out and we play KJ at the 4. If Clemence can actually shoot, I’m less annoyed (because in that case he’s Diet Hunter).

But I don’t know how we score with a KJ/Flory frontcourt.

[DeletedUser]

But I don’t know how we score with a KJ/Flory frontcourt.

Me either.

And Bidunga isn't someone we can throw it to in the post, yet.

[jfish26]

But I don’t know how we score with a KJ/Flory frontcourt.

Me either.

And Bidunga isn't someone we can throw it to in the post, yet.

No - which is why I like him a lot better as a four-out 5 than a three-out 5 (with KJ). I think, for the time being, his best offense is as a spread-floor roll guy, and a spread-floor offensive rebounder and putback guy.

I think, in other words, that clogging up the paint by playing him alongside a non-shooting 4 (KJ) works against what he is best-prepared to be good at.

[randylahey]

I don't know if he's going to play much, but Zach Clemence put on some serious muscle during his time at KU. Dude looks solid in some recent pictures from practice.

I think he plays this year. It's his 4th year in the program, and he's 6'10 and can shoot. He's got a lot of competition for minutes tho. He's just got to defend at a higher level

Can he shoot, though? Or is he one of those guys that shoots a very pretty 25%?

Lol. Well the ability is there. Has it transfered to games yet? Nope. Will it? Sure hope so

Seems like zach needs to have a good start to the season shooting the ball, to get his confidence up. If not he likely gets lost in the rotation

[jfish26]

I think he plays this year. It's his 4th year in the program, and he's 6'10 and can shoot. He's got a lot of competition for minutes tho. He's just got to defend at a higher level

Can he shoot, though? Or is he one of those guys that shoots a very pretty 25%?

Lol. Well the ability is there. Has it transfered to games yet? Nope. Will it? Sure hope so

Seems like zach needs to have a good start to the season shooting the ball, to get his confidence up. If not he likely gets lost in the rotation

I agree with that. Unless he has dramatically changed his body (such that he can move laterally), he's all-offense. And there's not room at a program like ours for an all-offense guy who isn't, you know, good at offense.

[randylahey]

Gonzaga torched us with a couple 6 10 dudes who could shoot and didn't move well laterally. If zach finds a fit in certain lineups, he's talented enough to help us

[DeletedUser]

Gonzaga also beat us without our best player. So I'm not reading too much into that.

Clemence needs to rebound and be able to defend the 5.


Not related to Clemence, but I'd love for us to stop switching on defense so much now that foul trouble won't be such a big issue. Good coaches have been able to pick our switching scheme apart and create favorable mismatches very easily. I liked the old days. Man to man. Stop your man. Fight through screens. Switch occasionally. Not switch everything like we've been doing (even though it usually works).

[randylahey]

Depends on the lineups. If you have the right defenders out there, you can switch a lot and it's beneficial. It stops the offense from gaining an advantage. But you need versatile defenders. A guy like KJ can switch onto just about anyone

[jfish26]

Depends on the lineups. If you have the right defenders out there, you can switch a lot and it's beneficial. It stops the offense from gaining an advantage. But you need versatile defenders. A guy like KJ can switch onto just about anyone

Which is amazing - but he kills you on the other end. And so I have reservations about playing him alongside Flory, who should not be counted on for offense. I'd love to have that assumption be incorrect. But I think it's the right assumption until he shows otherwise.

[randylahey]

I'm hoping guys like storr and Griffen can be high level versatile defenders, but haven't heard much about their defense. Moore was the only transfer I recall being described as a tenacious defender

[randylahey]

I agree with you fish. Bidunga seems like a project, not a guy you can run offense through. But that's what hunter is for.

I expect kj to have improved, but can't imagine his shot showing enough progress to change the way teams guard him

[DeletedUser]

I'll be happy if KJ has 3 makes from 3pt on the year.

[KUTradition]

i would rather him not even attempt that many

[jfish26]

Depends on where his true talent level is at now. If he's a 33% shooter from 3, then he's got to let it fly early in games, just for spacing purposes.