3 Quick Things 🤫 Anonymous NBA Exec on KU

One Hearing, One Stat, One Tweet from KU's ugly win vs. WVU

In this Hearings newsletter:

1. What and NBA Exec Thinks About KU 🤫

2. A stat showing how the defense keeps getting better 🔒

3. One extra way to Beat Mizzou 💪

4. Tweet of the game: all the pieces matter 🧩

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One Hearing: Anonymous NBA Front-Office Executive on the Jayhawks

I spoke to an anonymous NBA Executive with a background in scouting about this year’s Kansas team. The Exec has kept an eye on the Jayhawks and had some eye-opening takes on Kevin McCullar. The following is a summary of his thoughts, edited for clarity and brevity:

• Right now, Kansas has 2.5 NBA-ready players on the team. The two are Jalen Wilson and Gradey Dick. The “.5” is Kevin McCullar. (He wasn’t interested in the younger bench players yet.”

• He said, “McCullar is the most important player for Kansas to make a run. Great defender and best all-around basketball player.”¹

  • The exec compared McCullar to a less-athletic Alex Caruso. He later doubled down, saying McCullar is the team’s best player.

    • My view on this is that McCullar is a truly unique role player. When he’s creating easy baskets, the Jayhawks have three forces on the wing that no other team can match. You can ask him to guard big or small defensively while filling the rebounding void. He’s the “You complete me” of this team.

• His concern for KU is consistent scoring outside of Wilson and Gradey Dick. “Self bringing this team to the Final Four would be impressive.”

• He thinks Jalen Wilson is underrated on mock drafts but will probably climb once he starts draft workouts.

  • Note: With Wilson being honored on senior night, it’s safe to assume he’s headed to the pros.

• He mentioned Dick having valid question marks defensively, but noted wing shooting will always rise on draft night. “Not a lot of guys can shoot like that.” (Note: We know)

  • Another note: I would be stunned if Dick returned to KU next year. He’s a pro, has been playing at the USA basketball junior team level, and can maximize his value by getting to his second contract as fast as possible. He’s been everything KU could’ve realistically expected.

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One Stat: The Defense Keeps Getting Better

For this stat, I’m using Kenpom competitor BartTorvik.com. It allows you to filter analytics by date, so you can see how a team is improving.

From Jan 1-Jan 31: KU’s defense was ranked No. 40 in efficiency.

During its last 10 games: KU ranks No. 7 in efficiency. The team is bought in on defense, now more than ever.

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One Extra: Let’s Beat Mizzou

KU is going against Missouri in the second-round of this Best Bar Town tournament. This is something KU students care about, so I’m getting behind the effort. #MuckFizzou Forever.

Lawrence can get points the following ways:

• 1 point = Tweet #LawrenceBBT

• 5 points = per 100 views on TikTok using #LawrenceBBT

• 10 points = posting on IG (not a story, a Reel or a Post) with #LawrenceBBT

  Barstool KU @BarstoolKU

  Voting starts back up today for the Best Bar Town tournament. We need to take down Columbia similar to how the basketball game went this year. We will let everyone know when voting begins. #BestBarTown #LawrenceBBT @highnoonsunsips

  

  

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One Tweet: The Perfect Way to Describe this Team 🧩

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• This falls in line with The Source’s opinion on the Jayhawks. If you’re new here, The Source has provided pre-game insight and analysis on Kansas all season. We love The Source.