There are 125 days between now and when it actually matters, and that should provide KU fans with plenty of time to dream up at least that many different lineups for the 2021-22 Kansas men’s basketball team.
Luckily, the current KU roster is loaded with both the kind of talent and the number of bodies that make such an exercise a possibility.
From five super seniors and four returning starters to four freshmen to 10 new faces, the Kansas lineup figures to look a lot different during the upcoming season than it did a year ago.
That is, of course, except for when it doesn’t.
With returning starters Ochai Agbaji, Christian Braun, David McCormack and Jalen Wilson all viable options to handle similar roles this season, a completely new-look KU roster might have a very familiar look to it when the games begin.
It’s what happens when foul trouble and fatigue set in, making substitutions necessary, that things will get really interesting.
And I would imagine that KU coach Bill Self and his assistants are drooling over the possibilities. Here are but a few of them, some of which are more likely than others.
My Starting Five
———–
**(as of July 6, 2021)**
PG – Remy Martin
SG – Ochai Agbaji
3G – Christian Braun
4 – Jalen Wilson
5 – David McCormack
> People have been writing off Christian
> Braun a little bit, but I just don’t
> see it. I think he brings everything
> to the starting five that you want in
> a player and I expect him to have
> improved his shot and physicality in
> the offseason, making him poised for a
> strong junior season. Outside of that,
> I think the other four are all but
> locks to start.
Top-25 Second Unit
————
PG – Dajuan Harris
SG – Joseph Yesufu
3G – Jalen Coleman-Lands
4 – Cam Martin
5 – Mitch Lightfoot
> This is one of those “would be ranked
> or finish in the top half of the Big
> 12″ type of teams and at least four of
> these guys are likely to play
> significant roles this season. The
> lone exception could be Lightfoot, but
> his experience and shot blocking
> ability could help him carve out a
> reserve role if Cam Martin and/or Zach
> Clemence aren’t ready for big minutes
> right away. Either way, this backcourt
> is pretty darn good, with two
> playmakers and a couple of shooters
> and Martin and Lightfoot are big
> enough to do what they need to do on
> the glass. Looking at this team gives
> you a clear picture of why the 2021-22
> Jayhawks are so highly thought of this
> offseason. Four of these guys could
> play starter type minutes and blend
> very nicely with that first unit.
Let’s Play Big
———
PG – Christian Braun
SG – Ochai Agbaji
3G – Jalen Wilson
4 – Cam Martin
5 – David McCormack
> This obviously will never happen — 1.
> Because the game has gotten smaller,
> not bigger and 2. Because Self
> probably wouldn’t be comfortable with
> those guys as his primary ball
> handlers — but Braun has been the
> initiator of the offense in spots in
> the past and that trio in the back
> court would give KU a size advantage
> on just about anybody. The big thing
> this presents is the idea of playing
> Cam Martin and David McCormack
> together, something I think Self will
> at least consider doing a fair amount
> of the time, provided they fit each
> other and can do what needs to be done
> defensively to be out there at the
> same time.
Let’s Play Small
———–
**(aka Opposing Ballhandlers’ Worst Nightmare)**
PG – Dajuan Harris
SG – Remy Martin
3G – Joseph Yesufu
4 – Ochai Agbaji
5 – Jalen Wilson
> I love this look. And even if it comes
> in a more traditional sense with those
> three little guards and Wilson and
> McCormack on the floor, I think this
> could be a very dynamic lineup.
> Harris, Martin and Yesufu out there
> together could make life miserable for
> opposing guards. And all three are
> good enough offensively — even if
> they’re on the smaller side — to keep
> their presence on the floor from
> hurting KU’s bottom line. I don’t
> think we’ll see this lineup very much.
> But if the matchup is right and KU
> needs a defensive spark, I could see
> this group being the group that plays
> together for 4-6 minutes and
> completely turns a game.
Top All-Newcomer Look
————–
PG – Remy Martin
SG – Joseph Yesufu
3G – Jalen Coleman-Lands
4 – Zach Clemence
5 – Cam Martin
> Talk about a pretty good crop of
> newcomers. Four of the five were
> starters at their previous stops and
> the fifth — Clemence — was a Top 100
> recruit who brings offensive and
> defensive versatility with him. There
> are simply too many talented returners
> to expect to see Kansas lean on the
> newcomers this hard. But this lineup
> shows you loud and clear that KU’s
> depth is on another level this season.
> That should keep things competitive
> from start to finish and it also
> should keep guys fresh late in games
> and late in the season.
Wings Across America Tour
—————–
PG – Joseph Yesufu
SG – Ochai Agbaji
3G – Christian Braun
4 – Jalen Wilson
5 – KJ Adams
> Until Remy Martin to Kansas became
> official earlier this week, there was
> a real chance that Yesufu was going to
> get a long look as KU’s point guard.
> In this lineup, which features five
> players who could thrive on the wing,
> Yesufu runs the point and the others
> run around all over the floor with
> him, spotting up, slashing, getting
> out in transition and crashing the
> offensive glass on every possession.
Old Heads
——
PG – Remy Martin (23)
SG – Jalen Coleman-Lands (25 on July 15)
3G – Cam Martin (23)
4 – David McCormack (22)
5 – Mitch Lightfoot (25 on Juy 14)
> A lot has been made about the age of
> some of these guys — most notably
> journeyman Mitch Lightfoot — but that
> maturity and veteran presence figures
> to help this team a tremendous amount.
> Beyond that, even if you played the
> four oldest guys on KU’s roster, it
> would still be a pretty decent team.
> Having Cam Martin, McCormack and Mitch
> out there together would make it kind
> of clunky and make this team
> vulnerable on the defensive end. So we
> won’t ever see it exactly this way.
> But there’s no doubt that the foursome
> of Martin, Coleman-Lands, Martin and
> McCormack could team with Agbaji — a
> senior himself — to still field a
> pretty old and experienced five and
> change the outlook in a hurry. I know
> some have already mentioned it, but
> add to these five two other seniors
> and you’re looking at a marathon night
> of speeches on Senior Night late in
> the season.
The Youngsters
———
PG – Dajuan Harris
SG – Bobby Pettiford
3G – Kyle Cuffe Jr.
4 – KJ Adams
5 – Zach Clemence
> On the flipside of things, this would
> be the youngest team KU could put on
> the floor. And we’re much more likely
> to see that group of old men before we
> see this bunch. For one, I think
> there’s a good chance that Cuffe, who
> reclassified up to get here early,
> will redshirt. The other four all
> could play some kind of role this
> season, but exactly what that looks
> like is not yet known. I think
> Pettiford and Clemence are going to
> grow to become players KU fans
> absolutely love. And Cuffe is mature
> beyond his years and Adams is a
> physical mismatch waiting to happen.
> It’s just a matter of opportunity and
> how quickly all of these guys make the
> adjustment to the college game that
> will determine how much they’ll play
> during the 2021-22 season.
Bombs Away Bunch
———–
PG – Remy Martin
SG – Ochai Agbaji
3G – Jalen Coleman-Lands
4 – Jalen Wilson
5 – Cam Martin
> This is a pretty fun team and it’s not
> that much of a reach to picture these
> guys being out there together.
> Coleman-Lands is a career 37% 3-point
> shooter, who has two seasons of better
> than 38% shooting under his belt,
> including last season when he shot
> 39.5% from downtown at Iowa State. Cam Martin shot better than 40% from
> 3-point range for much of his
> All-American time at Missouri Southern
> and Ochai Agbaji led the Big 12 in
> 3-point makes and was fourth in
> 3-point percentage in the conference.
> And then there’s Martin, who never met
> a shot he didn’t feel like he was
> going to make, and Wilson, who is
> equally as confident when he lets it
> fly. Space the floor and let it fly
> would be the mantra with this bunch,
> and because of that these Jayhawks
> should be a much better shooting team
> than the 2020-21 group was.
