So now that [the Silvio De Sousa saga is over][1] — don’t worry, you can still get your NCAA delay fix via the Billy Preston situation — it’s time to take a closer look at exactly what De Sousa might be able to bring to the Jayhawks’ rotation during the next couple of months.
If you’re basing your read entirely [on what you saw from De Sousa in his four-minute debut against Kansas State,][2] you’re probably not all that optimistic about his role. And who could blame you?
In those four first-half minutes of last Saturday’s one-point thriller over K-State, De Sousa recorded just two stats — one foul and one turnover — and did not appear to be fully ready for basketball at this level.
How could he be, though? That’s a heck of a spot to get your first taste of major college ball and anyone expecting him to be anything but average at best was dreaming a little bit.
Although his minutes did not hurt Kansas in the long run — K-State did, however, turn a 21-13 deficit into a 21-21 tie from the time De Sousas checked in to the time he returned to the bench — De Sousa looked a little less than ready for action.
In comparison to everyone else on the floor, De Sousa moved at a slower speed and pace. It wasn’t that he was physically slower than everybody, he just did not react as quickly to things that were happening around him and that made it look as if he was turned down instead of turned up.
Again, that’s understandable for a young man who, just a few weeks ago was playing against — and dominating — the top high school competition out there.
But even with the mistakes and the low motor and all of the thinking, those four minutes of rest that De Sousa gave Udoka Azubuike no doubt were valuable. Even if his skill set doesn’t come around or catch up and he’s only able to be a big body to give Azubuike a few minutes of rest here and there, that still could have great value for this Kansas team.
With that said, I watched De Sousa closely during the minutes he was on and off the floor — these debuts and such always fascinate me — and I found five ways in which De Sousa was better than the overall picture projected.
Here’s a look:
**1 – De Sousa pays attention and takes instruction well**
Whether you’re talking about coaches yelling at him from the bench or talking to him while sitting next to them or from his teammates on the floor, De Sousa appears to be in all-ears mode and does not have an ego that’s too big or too cool for school to listen to what others are telling him. He clearly respects the been-there-done-that status of his coaches and teammates and is trying to soak up everything they can tell him while trying to keep his head from spinning out of control at the same time.
**2 – De Sousa’s footwork & positioning on defense is pretty good**
You might not have noticed it because he didn’t block any shots into the fifth row or rip down any one-handed rebounds, but De Sousa moves well and takes up a lot of space in the paint on the defensive end. He clearly already understands the emphasis KU coach Bill Self puts on defense and is out there trying to please his coach with max effort on the defensive end every trip down. I thought it was funny when the officials had to tell him on a couple of different occasions to keep his hand off of the K-State player posting up. De Sousa loved to wrap his right hand/arm around the waist of the player to give him a better chance of keeping him contained. That was something he either got away with in high school or didn’t need to do. Either way, they won’t let it fly here. It was pretty blatant. He just needs to use his strength and feet to hold his position.
**3 – De Sousa is a natural at walling up**
Speaking of defense and positioning, I thought De Sousa flashed a tremendous ability to wall up — exactly what it sounds in that he slides in front of an offensive player, stands tall and puts both arms straight up in the air to make it harder to shoot over him — on a few occasions during his short stint on the floor. One came with his man trying to score against him and at least one or two others came with De Sousa in the role of help defender, sliding over to cut off the drive and getting as big as possible to make the K-State player think twice about proceeding. It’s a subtle advantage and a skill that’s not that difficult to execute. But it is hard to master and I think De Sousa has tremendous potential there, which should help him give KU a defensive presence until he frees his mind to the point where he can use his athleticism to do work as a shot blocker.
**4 – De Sousa is a good presence in the post**
He did not show it on the possession where he got sped up and then fired a pass to no one out of bounds, but I thought the more telling part of that play — and the other times when De Sousa posted up on offense — was that his teammates showed no hesitation in looking to throw it down to him. They obviously have seen what he can do in practice and know that he can help them a ton if he can do some of that in games. So as long as he can continue to establish good position, which he got vs. K-State, it appears as if his teammates are going to at least continue to look to give him the ball, which gives KU a much-needed second player they can throw the ball to on the block when they need a bucket. Now he just has to work on slowing down a little, playing more under control and going strong to the rim, where he can draw fouls and get to the free throw line if nothing else.
**5 – De Sousa stays engaged on the bench**
This sort of ties into that first one, with De Sousa being a willing learner, but I glanced over at him quite a few times during his time on the bench and noticed a player paying serious attention to what was happening on the floor. He appeared, naturally, to be watching Azubuike whenever possible and also asked coaches and teammates questions during the action.
I’m not trying to sugar coat De Sousa’s debut as anything but a night to forget, statistically. But, if you’re willing to look past the obvious, there were definitely some early signs of ways the 6-foot-9, 245-pound big man could help this Kansas team sooner rather than later.
You all have heard Self’s timeline for when he thinks De Sousa might be comfortable. So give him those two or three weeks to get there and keep an eye on all of the things mentioned above while you wait.
Much like with Azubuike, I think this is a player who will show rapid progress every time you see him.
Whether we see him much in Morgantown, W.Va., tonight or not is a whole other question. But if we do — and I could see it given WVU’s size and ability to hit the offensive glass — I’d bet on two things: (1) It’ll be earlier in the game to steal a breather for Azubuike, who will have to be huge tonight for KU to have a chance; and (2) He’ll look better than he did two days ago.
[1]: http://www2.kusports.com/news/2018/jan/13/silvio-de-sousa-cleared-ncaa-will-play-today-vs-k-/?mens_basketball
[2]: http://www2.kusports.com/news/2018/jan/13/notebook-silvio-de-sousa-receives-standing-ovation/
