Flaherty's write-up on yesterday's scrimmage.
1. OCHAI AGBAJI LOOKED LIKE POTENTIALLY THE BEST PLAYER ON THE COURT
Agbaji impressed when he burned his redshirt a year ago, displaying the kind of athleticism that caused many to project him as an NBA prospect later on, and even scoring 20-plus points three times. But if Tuesday was any indication, Agbaji will hit the 20-point mark considerably more often this season. The sophomore looked fluid in everything that he did, with a tighter handle allowing him to get into the lane on his drives and a smooth jumper helping to yield 17 points, including three three-pointers. Agbaji led both teams in scoring for most of the scrimmage until Devon Dotson’s late burst to end things.
It’s a huge development on a team that figured to have star power with Dotson and Azubuike, but more questions on the wings, particularly from a shooting standpoint. And on Tuesday, not only did Agbaji look like the furthest thing from a question mark, he also looked much more like the player who was making 40 percent of his three-pointers once he started seeing the court and much less like the player whose shot faded down the stretch. Agbaji’s first 11 games as a freshman saw him make 15 three-pointers while making 40.5 percent of his shots from the outside, while he made just eight three-pointers in his final 11 games, shooting 21.1 percent. And if Agbaji can shoot more like the former player, Kansas becomes that much more dangerous.
2. SILVIO DE SOUSA, MYSTERY MAN
Of course, all eyes were on De Sousa, who represents potentially the biggest X-Factor on this year’s team. After all, what do people truly know about him as a player? He was thrown into the fire after arriving midseason of what should have been his senior year of high school, and while he proved himself an elite by-rate rebounder, De Sousa didn’t show off the full game of what made him a top prospect in high school. Yet so many use that tiny sample size for what De Sousa’s capable of, forgetting that 1) he had more than what he showed that season and 2) he’s had more than a full season’s time to work on his game, his body and improve since we last saw him on the court.
Tuesday’s indicators are that De Sousa has, in fact, been working on his game in his time off. While his jumper didn’t fall, his form was good. And he looked even more powerful and athletic than he did while grabbing 10 boards against Marvin Bagley III and Wendell Carter in Kansas’ Elite Eight win over Duke. Among the highlights of his 11 points were a dunk where he went coast-to-coast, and De Sousa showed off a really nice spin overall on a post up where he was eventually fouled. Perhaps just as encouraging — and yes, it was a meaningless scrimmage — De Sousa was able to play the four next to Azubuike without the apparently obvious crowding issues.
3. DEVON DOTSON IS BRIMMING WITH CONFIDENCE
The reports that came out of Dotson’s workouts was that he shot the ball better than expected from the outside, a big part of why Dotson’s stock was rising and he was close to remaining in the pool of players for the NBA Draft. And he looked like it Tuesday, leading all scorers with 19 points, including four three-pointers. Some of that came at the end of the scrimmage, and Dotson added the winning points when he was fouled on 79 points, needing a free throw to seal things up. Dotson stepped away from the free throw line, raised his hands to get the campers screaming, then cooly walked back to the line and swished through his free throw.
Dotson’s outside shot was clearly a big focus of his; he didn’t attack the paint with his usual vigor and made two of this three-pointers from 24-plus feet. But the most noticeable part was just the confidence the Kansas sophomore played with. Players often make a big leap between their freshman and sophomore seasons, and Dotson’s freshman year looks seasons behind him, as he moves and carries himself like he knows that he’s the best player on the court. Kansas fans should enjoy Dotson this season, because if he plays like that this year, he won’t be back in Lawrence for a junior year.
4. BIG MEN HITTING JUMPERS
As we referenced in the De Sousa section, one of the biggest perceived knocks on this team is spacing, particularly with the Jayhawks likely pairing two legitimate post players at times. And with Marcus Garrett playing point guard opposite Dotson and looking trim, that puts more emphasis on at least one of the big men being able to step away from the basket. And all four of De Sousa, Udoka Azubuike, David McCormack and Mitch Lightfoot did just that. Every one of those players attempted at least one 16-foot jump shot, with Azubuike hitting two jumpers beyond the free throw line, McCormack canning a pair of jumpers himself and Lightfoot hitting multiple three-pointers.
Of course, it isn’t super likely that we’ll all of a sudden watch Azubuike hitting 16-footers, but that isn’t really the point. The point is that if Kansas can get its big men to the point where they can play outside of the paint, it doesn’t just open things up for the other post players, but also for the guards to attack the paint without having to navigate a packed-in defense. And when the ball did go into the post, Kansas’ post players showed a willingness and an aptitude to pass the ball out and find the open man, another trait that should prove valuable this season.
5. FRESHMEN ALL FLASH POTENTIAL
Then-Texas football coach Mack Brown once said that in the first practices of the season, you didn’t expect freshmen to fare well, but that you just wanted to see a flash or two of why you went out and recruited said player in the first place. For each of the members of Kansas’ freshman class, that was a check mark in the scrimmage. The Dotson-Isaac McBride pairing was an exciting one with tremendous quickness; McBride hit two three-pointers, finished with eight points and three assists, including a tremendous drive into the paint and a lay-off for a McCormack dunk. Christian Braun shot the ball well from three and had 13 points.
And then there’s Tristan Enaruna. Kansas coach Bill Self told campers before the scrimmage that Enaruna can do a little bit of everything, and then the slender forward from the Netherlands went out and did just that. Enaruna finished with 14 points in a variety of ways, looking particularly impressive with his ambidexterity, driving and finishing with both hands. In fact, one probably would have thought Enaruna was left-handed if he didn’t shoot a jumper, which he hoists with his right.
If Kansas adds Jalen Wilson on Wednesday, the Jayhawks would have four scholarship freshmen, none of whom is ranked higher than No. 50 in the 247Sports Composite. But this group isn’t light on talent, and while it may take them a bit longer to get there than a five-star prospect, there’s a lot to like about the future.
https://247sports.com/college/kansas/Lo ... 2798540_10