The anticipated KU debut of Arizona State transfer Sam Cunliffe — which is expected to come Saturday night at Nebraska — is off the charts and is a direct result of the Jayhawks’ back-to-back losses, limited depth and recent struggles.
And it’s clear [that Cunliffe himself also is more than ready to get back on the floor][1] after sitting out an entire year while waiting to suit up for KU.
But it’s important to remember one thing about the addition of Cunliffe to the Kansas lineup — While he will add to this team’s depth, the 6-foot-6, 200-pound sophomore is not expected to play 20-plus minutes a game and fill up the stat sheet.
That does not mean, however, that Cunliffe will not have the opportunity to make a major impact on this Kansas team. And there’s one incredibly easy way for him to make sure he does.
Go all out.
Treat every time he checks into the game like a line change in hockey, with Cunliffe hopping over the boards with fresh legs and fierce drive, prepared to give it hell for the full 90 seconds he’s out there (or in this case four or five minutes) only to return to the bench and wait for another turn.
Don’t worry about scoring. Don’t worry about fouling. Don’t worry about anything other than playing with as much energy, intensity and passion as possible, a move that, if Cunliffe delivers, surely would rub off on his Jayhawk teammates.
Here’s the thing about the luxury that Cunliffe represents for Bill Self’s lineup. Recent losses notwithstanding, the Jayhawks have been just fine without Cunliffe on the floor when it comes to foul trouble. In fact, just two Jayhawks have fouled out of a game all year — Svi Mykhailiuk against Washington and Mitch Lightfoot against South Dakota State.
And while foul trouble has been a concern from time to time, it has not crippled the Kansas lineup to the point of not being able to function the way Self and company want to.
So Cunliffe’s five fouls are essentially bonus fouls. And that’s why he can go wild when he’s out there and not worry about the whistle.
Does that mean he should foul 90 feet from the basket or bump his man every time he brings the ball across mid-court? Of course not. You still have to play smart for Self or else you’re not going to play and this whole concept becomes moot.
But when it comes to hitting the offensive glass, trying to take charges or doing all of those little things that steal extra possessions and change momentum, Cunliffe should feel free to function as if he has unlimited fouls to give. Because even if he picks up four in the first half — which will never happen, by the way — it’s not as if that will put the Jayhawks in any kind of foul trouble they have not experienced already.
In fact, if Cunliffe somehow were to get four fouls in the first half, it probably would mean that one or two of the seven other Jayhawks who have been playing all the minutes so far this season does not have a foul or two. And that, in a weird way, would actually help KU’s rotation.
Cunliffe’s a good player and a great athlete and he has skills that could help, provided his head is in the right place and he’s willing to play team basketball and do the dirty work that Self and company love to see from their bench guys.
That’s all he needs to be for his addition to make a difference for the 2017-18 Jayhawks — a hard-working, high-energy spark.
Points, clutch baskets, key reads… Whether they come or not is irrelevant. Some nights they might and other nights they won’t. But whether they do or don’t, Cunliffe can bring incredible energy every time he’s in the game.
[1]: http://www2.kusports.com/news/2017/dec/12/tom-keegan-sam-cunliffe-realizes-year-long-wait-ma/
