🤘⬇️ 3 Quick Things: Why Did the Bench Finally Show Up?
🤘⬇️ 3 Quick Things: Why Did the Bench Finally Show Up?
One Question, One Stat, One Tweet from KU-Texas
One Question: Why Did the Bench Finally Show Up?
KU’s win Monday night vs. Texas was exactly what we’ve been waiting for. The Jayhawks brought a renewed sense of energy, urgency, and excitement in a must-win game.
The takeaway for me was how freely the bench guys played.
Let’s break it down:
Joe Yesufu: Yesufu played without worrying he'd get yanked after one bad shot. Bill Self keeps telling Yesufu to be a scorer but has had a quick hook for the PG this year. It looked like Yesufu was never sure if he should shoot or not. That’s a pretty big problem.
On Monday, however, KU didn’t have a choice. Yesufu is more of a slasher than we’ve seen — a downhill threat who takes some time to develop a rhythm and feel for the game.
He got that time on Monday, and it feels like it’ll keep coming. Welcome to the Yesufu Ride.1
MJ Rice: He knew he was going to play. Same kind of deal. He was active on defense, while his length and athleticism bothered a Texas team that kept trying to post him up. Before Monday, Rice allowed 37 points in 33 defensive possessions, which is flat-out bad. Against Texas, he gave up just two points in five possessions, a noteworthy improvement that’ll earn him playing time.
Ernest Udeh: Quick shout-out for Udeh. Dude was everywhere. He’s so involved when he’s on the court. Keep getting more comfortable, and good things will come.
Cam Martin: Martin warmed up with the bigs, but I don’t think it’s likely he plays this year. He can (I think) take a medical redshirt if he avoids game action and save his final year of eligibility. Whether he’d stay at KU or not is a different question.2
One Stat
In my game preview, I mentioned Big 12 defenses aren’t worried about KU’s ball-handler when it runs pick-and-roll. Adjustment made.
KU tied its season high with 18 possessions graded as a ball-handler finished pick-and-roll. It only had seven against Iowa State (all via Synergy). This isn’t KU’s most efficient offense, but it forces the defense to commit and opens everything else up.
One Tweet
Yeah.
Yesufu was hilariously entertaining Monday. He was just DETERMINED to get his shots. There were a few bad ones, but he really came through after a chance to shoot through it. I was cracking up at just about everything he did.
He won’t.