Scoopmeister’s note: I’m on vacation in Mexico for a Jayhawk wedding this week. I'll try to send a pregame Baylor newsletter, but too many cervezas or tequila could.. impair my ability to make that happen. Hoping you enjoy this for now and have a great week!
A month back, I was reading through Kenpom's player comparisons for KU with my dad. It was a fun conversation, where we mostly laughed, had a few "I could see its" and a couple of "HUHs?!”
I took it to my main KU group text and it got the people going. If we had fun, I figured you would, too.
Kenpom explains his player comparison formula in detail. He values height and minutes per game more than anything else. Beyond that, he looks at weight, efficiency, usage, and other fancy analytics. I only shared comparisons with notable players.
I’ll come back with a fun twist for Part Two soon.
Dajuan Harris
Comparison: T.J. McConnell, Zavier Simpson
I love this one. Kenpom compares Harris to junior year McConnell at Arizona. McConnell was a defensive nightmare in the Pac-12, while being a bulldog on offense.
Former Michigan PG Zavier Simpson was another fun comparison to include. Simpson played a role in Michigan's 2018 Final Four team as a ball-hawking PG.
Gradey Dick
Comparison: Gary Trent, Svi Mykhailiuk, Otto Porter, Caris LeVert, Jacob Evans
Kenpom dialed up good ones here for Dick. Porter was added to the list after Dick’s dominant outing vs. Oklahoma St., LeVert is a solid NBA player, Evans gets legit playing time, and Trent is in year four of a promising NBA career. Fun fact, Trent's last college game for Duke was against Kansas in the Elite Eight, which brings us to Svi.
SVIIIIIIIII!
Dick's stroke is more pure than Svi,1 but they serve a similar purpose for the Jayhawks. Outside of Doke, Svi's KU teams were more perimeter oriented than we'd seen.
But mostly, the comp just makes me smile.
Jalen Wilson
Comparison: Georges Niang, Robbie Hummel, Doug McDermott
These are big time names for Wilson, who currently ranks No. 3 in Kenpom's national player of the year rankings.2 Niang was a terror for the Fred Hoiberg Cyclones. They were early college adopters of positionless basketball, and Wilson fits that mold.
Dougey McBuckets feels like he was more of a pure scorer than Wilson, but the comparison is a huge compliment to his offensive improvement.
My main Hummel take is that I want him calling KU games instead of Fran Fraschilla.
Kevin McCullar
Comparison: Theo Pinson, Kent Bazemore
Pinson started on North Carolina's 2017 NCAA Title team, went undrafted, and has carved out a nice pro career for himself. He did a little bit of everything for UNC as a senior, which KU has asked of McCullar.
And for the record, I could see McCullar carving out a minor role for himself at the next level. He's got the size, and I've heard has caught the eye of NBA folks as a potential pro.
KJ Adams
Comparison: Branden Dawson, Christian Bishop
Adams' names aren't too fun. He really can impact a game like Dajuan Harris at times, which makes him so unique. In fact, I'm overriding Kenpom and giving KJ the 6'7" strong version of Harris.
Screw you, Kenpom.3
Joseph Yesufu
Comparison: Dylan Ennis, Travis Trice.
The Ennis comparison is fun. The PG played for Rice, Villanova, and Oregon before the transfer portal made that sound somewhat normal. Ennis' last college game was against UNC in the Final Four and he took 19 shots — which feels extremely Yesufu.
Ernest Udeh
Comparison: Marques Bolden, Daniel Batcho
Batcho is a fun, more recent comparison than the others. The Texas Tech sophomore currently has the 44th best block rate in the country and controls the glass for the Red Raiders. He's a different player on offense, but KU fans would take the big man's presence in a second.
Zuby Ejiofor
Comparison: Sagaba Konate
I thought this was a fun one to include, too. The sample size is so small with Zuby that it's hard to get anything accurate, but they're similar height and both can block shots. In 2018, Konate had the No. 2 block% in the country.
Konate's Kenpom comparison from 2018... Cole Aldrich.
I want to hear your KU player comps. Let me know what ya got.
hehe
B1G big men Zach Edey and Trayce Jackson-Davis are one and two, respectively.
I’m so sorry, my CBB Lord.. I didn’t mean that. Fingers were crossed. Don’t punish me.