Kansas Basketball: Udoka Azubuike will be dominant force for 2019-20

Udoka Azubuike might not be a perfect player, but when he’s healthy and on the court for Kansas Basketball, he’s arguably the most dominant player in college basketball.

Udoka Azubuike of Kansas Basketball is a big man living in a “small-ball” era of basketball. He’s likely not as appreciated as he would have been back in the ’90s for example, but the 7-footer’s dominance in the college game still cannot be denied.

(Credit to sports-reference, hoop-math and KenPom for statistics and NCAA March Madness for GIFS)

Interior Dominance

Yes, the 270 pounder from Nigeria is a bit injury prone, missing all but nine games last season with a torn ligament in his right hand. It’s also true he’s a horrific foul shooter (39.4% over career) and can fall victim to “Hack-A-Shaq’s.” He isn’t very mobile on defense, either, and can have significant issues when forced to defend on the perimeter (see 2018 Final 4 vs Villanova). For these reasons, Azubuike isn’t considered a great NBA prospect (52nd in one 2020 mock draft).

But even if all the above are true, the pros to Azubuke’s game WAY outweigh the cons at the college level. In 2017-18, the big-man shot an absurd 77.0 % from the field (1st in nation). He’s an absolute monster around the basket, attempting 78.1% of his shots at the rim and making 82.2% of them. He was also 76th nationally in offensive rebounding percentage.

From the 1992-93 to 2018-19 seasons, only 36 players have played at least 20 games and shot >= 77.0% from the field. Only one player, however, has played at least 20 games, shot >= 77.0% from the field AND averaged >= 12.9 points per game: Udoka Azubuike.

Azubuike is more skilled offensively than he sometimes gets credit for. His postgame and footwork are pretty solid, and he’s effective in the “Azubuike pick-and-roll” that starts at the free-throw line rather than the perimeter per usual.

The main concerns regarding Azubuike, notably injuries, free-throw shooting and defense, are definitely real. It’s possible, however, that some parts of these concerns are slightly overblown.

Injuries

Azubuike only played 11 games his freshmen season due to torn ligaments in his left wrist and missed most of last season after suffering a torn ligament in his right hand. Health can be an issue for people of Azubuike’s size, but he at least seems to have avoided the lower-body injuries that have plagued other big-men (knee/foot issues).

No injuries are “good,” and maybe Azubuike’s hand/wrist issues could rear their ugly heads again. Still, these injuries feel a bit fluky and not likely to be reoccurring. Additionally, the presences of 6-9 Silvio De Sousa and 6-10 David McCormack on the roster should prevent Azubuike from having to over exert himself (the trio might be the best frontcourt in the nation next season).

Overall, there seems to be reason for optimism that Azubuike will be healthy this season, something that would be huge for the Jayhawks.

Defense

Defensively, Azubuike is definitely a bit of a “plodding” presence and isn’t mobile enough to defend well on the perimeter. Although this is a very valid concern when it comes to evaluating him as an NBA prospect, this might be being overblown as an issue for him at the college level.

Kansas’s 2018 Final Four loss to Villanova has seemed to really stick in people’s minds; indeed, the Wildcats stretched the court with five shooters and made Azubuike borderline unplayable. It’s worth remembering, however, that Villanova was an outlier in the college game, ranking second best offensively in the entire KenPom database (behind 2014-15 Wisconsin). Not many teams will be able to consistently cause the big-man this many problems.

It’s also worth mentioning that Azubuike does provide value as an interior defender, particularly as a shot blocker. He ranked 70th in the nation in block percentage in 2017-18.

Free Throw Shooting

The free-throw shooting concern might be the most difficult for Azubuike to overcome, considering he shot a dismal 34.4%(11-32) in his nine games last season and 41.3% the season prior. Kansas head coach Bill Self expressed optimism regarding Azubuike’s free throw shooting prior to last season, however, and perhaps he would have performed better if he played an entire season.

Additionally, although teams have occasionally employed the “Hack-a Shaq” approach on Azubuike, he hasn’t been fouled as often as one might think. He only averaged 3.6 and 3.0 free throws per game in the last two seasons, and his 4.5 fouls drawn per 40 minutes in 2017-18 only ranked 483rd nationally. This increased to 5.5 in his nine games last season, but this still wouldn’t have ranked in the top 100 over the course of an entire season.

Azubuike also doesn’t spend that much time handling the ball, which gives teams fewer opportunities to foul him; a decent percentage of his shots come shortly after he catches the ball near the basket. Perhaps teams will ramp up the “Hack-a-Shaq” approach this season, but at least so far, his poor foul shooting hasn’t hurt Kansas all that much.

Conclusion

With plenty of returning talent, Kansas is expected to be among the best teams in the nation in 2019-20. Early preseason rankings have the Jayhawks as high as two and as low as six.

If Azubuike stays healthy all season, it’s hard to imagine the Jayhawks not getting at least a 2-seed in the NCAA Tournament (1-seed in early Bracketology). After missing most of 2018-19, he’ll likely be motivated to have a strong bounce-back year. Interior defenders in the Big 12 better get nervous.