Kansas Basketball: Potential impact of landing grad transfer guard Rayjon Tucker
By Chris Kern
The Kansas Basketball program had their fair share of issues over the past year, but they have a chance to turn it around and landing Rayjon Tucker would be a huge addition to the 2019-20 squad.
Rayjon Tucker is one of the best players still available to play next season and he could completely change the outlook of one program heading into next season. With his recent visit to Kansas Basketball being a huge success the Jayhawks have a chance to land him. With the recent turmoil surrounding the program, he would be a huge addition to the starting lineup for the 2019-20 campaign.
Tucker spent his first two seasons in college at Florida Gulf Coast as a solid role player before becoming a star last season at Arkansas Little-Rock. He averaged 20.3 points, 6.7 rebounds, 1.8 assists, and 1.1 steals per game on 49% shooting including 41% from three-point range.
That type of player is exactly what the Jayhawks were missing this past season. LaGerald Vick provided that some of the time, but he had some issues that held him back and made him very inconsistent. Even when Vick was on the team making shots they still weren’t a very good shooting team or even a good offensive team in general.
This is a team that went through big changes last season and they will be doing that again this year after they lost guys such as Dedric Lawson and Quentin Grimes to the NBA Draft. They also could potentially lose Devon Dotson who very possibly could be drafted if he chose to stay in, but if he returned to school and played like he is capable of doing then he would have a good chance to go in the first round of the 2020 NBA Draft.
Despite all the changes to the roster they’re dealing with they did get some very good news recently when Udoka Azubuike announced he would be returning for his senior season. If he is able to stay healthy he is going to be an All-American and a candidate for the Big 12 Player of the Year. Another possible returnee is forward Silvio De Sousa. He would likely return to school and start alongside Azubuike if he were reinstated by the NCAA, if not he is expected to remain in the NBA Draft.
The Jayhawks already have some solid wing players who will have a big impact in multiple ways. They have Ochai Agbaji and Marcus Garrett who have both shown they can be starters when they’re playing well. They both did deal with some struggles to end the season though so ideally they won’t both be needed to be in the starting lineup. These two are capable of doing so, but getting a dominant guard to put in the backcourt which would give Kansas a huge lift.
The Jayhawks had some good players, but their offense was very disappointing. They relied on Dedric Lawson to do so much and even though Devon Dotson was very good as well, they just didn’t have enough to compete at a high level. With more big changes coming, Bill Self needs to get Rayjon Tucker to come to play in Lawrence next season.
Kansas is in the mix for other top recruits such as RJ Hampton and Precious Achiuwan who both would be great fits, but Tucker is more realistic as well as arguably the best fit for the team. The Jayhawks will be a good team no matter what, but if they’re going to win the Big 12 and compete for a deep NCAA Tournament run they need to add some more pieces.
His ability to score the ball in so many ways is something the Jayhawks would utilize in a big way. He put up big numbers last season, but he wasn’t able to lead his team to many wins as they finished with just a 10-21 record in the Sun Belt conference. That’s part of the reason he wants to play for a big school so he can shine on the big stage before pursuing his professional career.
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Tucker is expected to make a decision on where he will play next season in the next week or so. No matter where he ends up he will make a huge impact. Besides Kansas, he has other schools such as Auburn and Memphis, but if he wants a chance to compete for a championship, his best option is to play for Bill Self in Lawrence. The Jayhawks need a star guard and Tucker needs a top program to be a star, this would be a perfect match.