It’s obviously still early, but if KU’s exhibition victories over Washburn and Emporia State are any indication of what’s to come, junior guard Devonte’ Graham could be on pace to accomplish a feat that only two other players have achieved in the Bill Self era at Kansas.
Graham’s .441 three-point field goal percentage during the 2015-16 season put him second (minimum 100 attempts) among all KU players under Self in that category.
Mario Chalmers’ .468 clip during the 2007-08 national title season ranks first and teammate Brandon Rush (.438 in 2006-07) ranks third.
Chalmers and Rush — in those back-to-back seasons — are the only two Jayhawks under Self to twice finish a season with a three-point percentage above .400. Remember, we’re talking players who qualify in the minimum 100 attempts category here.
Interestingly enough, Graham’s teammate Frank Mason finished the 2014-15 season at .429, but Mason did so in 98 attempts. It marked just the third time since Self arrived in Lawrence that KU’s yearly three-point percentage leader did not top the 100-attempt mark. KU’s record book keeps the statistic for players with a minimum of 40 attempts, but 100 felt like a better number for this blog because it provides a good look at true three-point gunners who were key members of their KU squads.
Back to Graham, he finished KU’s exhibition tune-ups with a .444 percentage from behind the three-point line — 2-for-5 against Washburn and 2-for-4 against Emporia State.
If Graham is able to keep that up, he’ll join Chalmers and Rush on this exclusive list. If he can’t, it’s not likely to be the attempts that cost him. Graham connected on 75 of 170 three-point attempts last season, and, with the Jayhawks slated to play smaller and with more four-guard lineups this season, Graham actually could get more attempts in 2016-17. The only question then will be will he make enough to qualify?
Here’s a quick look at the eight previous times a KU player under Self with at least 100 three-point attempts in a season topped 40 percent from long range.
> • Mario Chalmers – 2007-08 – .468
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> • Devonte’ Graham – 2015-16 – .441
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> • Brandon Rush – 2006-07 – .438
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> • Xavier Henry – 2009-10 – .423
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> • Ben McLemore – 2012-13 – .420
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> • Brandon Rush – 2007-08 – .419
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> • Mario Chalmers – 2006-07 – .417
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> • Brady Morningstar – 2008-09 – .415
**minimum 100 attempts*
It’s worth noting that Morningstar nearly accomplished the feat again in 2009-10 (.396) and teammate Tyrel Reed came crazy close to joining this list in both of those seasons (.398 in 117 attempts in 2008-09 and .484 in 91 attempts in 2009-10).
