The Kansas Jayhawks return looking for redemption after falling early in the NCAA Tournament as a 1-seed. Kansas Basketball won the Big 12 regular season championship and earned a 1-seed in the West region in the NCAA Tournament, but their NCAA title aspirations came up short. They went 28-8 during the 2022-23 season and finished 13-5 atop the conference standings, but things ended up abruptly for them in March.
The Jayhawks will lose nine players from last year’s No. 1-seeded squad that fell in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. Kevin McCullar Jr., Dajuan Harris Jr., and K.J. Adams Jr. are the three key returners for the Jayhawks from last season but adding Hunter Dickinson (Michigan), Nicolas Timberlake (Towson), and Parker Braun (Santa Clara) out of the transfer portal should undoubtedly improve things.
Of their nine departures, just two contributed double-figures in scoring in Gradey Dick and Jalen Wilson, who are both off to the NBA. With a bigger name in Hunter Dickinson looking to make a splash in the conference, things will look a lot different this upcoming season for Kansas.
They’ve got three freshmen newcomers as well with Elmarko Jackson, Jamari McDowell, and Johnny Furphy. Jackson and McDowell will look to make their presence felt in the backcourt alongside Dajuan Harris Jr. and crack the rotation for Kansas this season.
This year’s squad will undeniably have NCAA Tournament aspirations once again with Dickinson leading the way, but will they have enough to keep up with other national powers across the college basketball landscape? Take an early look at the projected starting lineup and depth chart for the Kansas Jayhawks for 2023-24.
Point Guard
Starter – Dajuan Harris Jr. (34 mpg)
Dajuan Harris Jr. returns as the unsung leader at the point guard spot for the Kansas Jayhawks. He was impressive this past season for them at the floor general position as he took home the Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year award and was a first-team All-Defense selection. He’s a two-way presence who’ll look to direct a much more efficient offense, especially shooting from the perimeter.
He produced 8.9 ppg, 6.2 apg, 2.5 rpg and 2.2 spg on 47.1 percent shooting from the floor and 40.5 percent from behind the arc in 2022-23. He finished fifth in the NCAA in assists (224) and 11th in steals (78) this past season. Look for him to continue to blossom in the backcourt. His production should improve tremendously with the presence of Hunter Dickinson in the frontcourt.
Bench – Elmarko Jackson (6 mpg)
Elmarko Jackson is the first freshman newcomer who cracks the rotation off the bench. He’s an electric player with the ball in his hands who’ll have to improve his shooting stroke, but in the meantime, he’s a viable option to have backing up Dajuan Harris Jr. at the point guard role. He’ll gain valuable experience learning from him on both ends of the floor.
Shooting Guard
Starter – Arterio Morris (20 mpg)
Arterio Morris is a transfer portal acquisition that should make an impact this upcoming season for the Jayhawks. He’s got some Big 12 experience under his belt already as he joins Kansas from the Texas Longhorns. He put up 4.6 ppg and 1.4 rpg on 33.3 percent shooting from deep this past season, but it’s his athleticism and ability to do other things that should keep him in the starting lineup.
Morris looks to be the current leader following their early overseas tour over the summer. He was impressive playing alongside Harris in a dual-point role and gave them another ball handler on the floor who could make plays for others. It won’t be surprising though to see his minutes fluctuate given Nick Timberlake’s shot-making ability on the perimeter.
Bench – Nicolas Timberlake (10 mpg), Elmarko Jackson (10 mpg)
Nicolas Timberlake emerges as the early leader at the backup shooting guard role. He’s got tremendous efficiency shooting the ball on the perimeter, something the Jayhawks will need in 2023-24. He averaged 17.7 ppg, 3.9 rpg, 2.4 apg and 1.0 spg on 41.6 percent shooting from deep with Towson in 2022-23.
He’ll be looked upon to knock down shots and bring easy offense with his shooting this year. Timberlake should share some of the backup shooting minutes with Elmarko Jackson. Jackson’s ability to defend and make plays in the halfcourt will be hard to pass up off the bench for Kansas.
Small Forward/Wing
Starter – Kevin McCullar Jr. (28 mpg)
Kevin McCullar Jr. is another returner for the Jayhawks with some unfinished business after last season. He should make a formidable force on both ends of the floor with Hunter Dickinson on the interior. His versatility should come in handy on the wing this season, though he’ll need to improve his efficiency on the perimeter.
McCullar put up 10.7 ppg, 7.0 rpg, and 2.0 spg on 44.4 percent shooting from the field this past season. He shot just 29.6 percent from behind the arc. He’s got room to improve after earning third-team All-Big 12 honors in 2022-23.
Bench – Nicholas Timberlake (10 mpg), Jamari McDowell (2 mpg)
If McCullar can’t knock down shots on the perimeter, look for Nicolas Timberlake to take his place. He’ll force Kansas to run a 3-guard rotation with his size at 6-foot-4, but he’s already shown early signs of what he can do on the perimeter in their summer overseas trip. He nearly averaged three 3-pointers a contest in 2022-23 with Towson with 2.8 makes per game from behind the arc.
His 92 3-pointers led the CAA this past season as well. Look for him to operate as a 3-point marksman off the bench this season. Jamari McDowell could see some minutes at the third small forward spot, but Timberlake could hold all those minutes depending on matchups.
Power Forward
Starter – Hunter Dickinson (34 mpg)
Hunter Dickinson should be quite the two-way presence in the painted area and beyond this season for Kansas. Moving him to the power-forward spot gives the Jayhawks some flexibility with their frontcourt. Dickinson, after all, is very capable of knocking down shots on the perimeter at the stretch-forward spot.
He took home second-team All-Big Ten honors this past season with 18.5 ppg, 9.0 rpg, 1.8 bpg and 1.5 apg on 56 percent shooting from the field and 42.1 percent from 3-point land. He’s a dynamic big man who’s continued to improve each season at Michigan. Now, he’ll look to get over the hump by showing what he can really do in the Big 12 with the Jayhawks. He should be an early favorite for Big 12 Player of the Year.
Bench – Zach Clemence (6 mpg), Parker Braun
Zach Clemence returns for Kansas with reserve experience in the frontcourt. He holds the clear advantage over transfer Parker Braun in that regard so he should get the bulk of the minutes at the power forward spot.
Clemence made 20 appearances in 2022-23, averaging 1.4 ppg and 1.3 rpg across 5.6 minutes of action per game. Look for that number to grow slightly in 2023-24 given the other pieces in the frontcourt around him.
Center
Starter – K.J. Adams Jr. (30 mpg)
K.J. Adams Jr. returns for the Kansas Jayhawks as another full-time starter. He appeared in 36 games, all starts, this past season, finishing with 10.6 ppg, 4.3 rpg and 1.9 apg on 62.2 percent shooting from the floor. He’s a paint presence that should fare well as the defensive anchor for this squad at the center role.
He’s a bit undersized at 6-foot-7 but his strong frame and the supporting cast around him should help. He’ll make quite the high-low option alongside Hunter Dickinson this season. Last season, he led the team with blocks with 29. Look for that number to rise as their defensive profile as a team grows this year.
Bench – Parker Braun (10 mpg)
Parker Braun emerges as a name that can shore things up at the backup center role. At 6-foot-10, 235 pounds, he’s capable of operating in the painted area as a defensive anchor. He produced 7.7 ppg, 5.8 rpg, 2.0 apg and 1.0 bpg on 55.3 percent shooting from the floor in 2022-23. He finished fifth in the WCC this past season in blocks (33) while averaging 1.0 per contest.
He’s got some SEC experience under his belt as well as WCC experience against bigger opponents in the frontcourt that he can use to his advantage.