Against Duke, Jalen Wilson produced 8.53 points of value above bubble, which is the highest in a game for a Jayhawk this season. Wilson led the Hawks to victory with his 25 points and 11 rebounds.
Dejuan Harris was the second-most valuable KU player, doing so mostly with his defense. He was credited with 10 official assists, although only 6 were actually value-added according to CtH. The official scorer was generous with assists for some reason. Harris’s defensive presence helped KU win the game, as he gave up only 2 points in nearly 35 minutes of play.
Moving down the list, K.J. Adams and Gradey Dick each had positive games and made big plays late to help seal the win. Of Gradey’s 14 points, 12 were on an assist. Adams didn’t win many defensive possession (exactly 1 rebound, steal and forced turnover each); his value was in only giving up 6 points to Duke.
Joe Yesufu didn’t score but also didn’t get scored on. He had a steal and drew a charge. Zuby Ejiofor grabbed some rebounds and added a lob dunk to play nearly at bubble-level. Bobby Pettiford only scored 2 points with 1 assist. Kevin McCullar scored 12 points but gave up 14. It was his worse defensive outing, even adjusting for opponent quality. Last, Ernest Udeh struggled on both ends. He failed to score but gave up 7 points in his 13 minutes of play.
The TEAM score of 11.50 was KU’s best of the season.
So far through 3 games, KU’s value scores look like this:
As mentioned in the deep dive of Jalen Wilson earlier in the year, it was entertained that Jalen would have to take on so large a role on offense for this team that his defense would decline. This has been the case through 3 games. Harris’s defense has been superb to this point, but his offense is likewise positive despite the limited scoring (7.3 ppg in 30 mpg). His assist numbers are what’s driving his offensive value. Gradey Dick’s offense is outpacing his defense. Kevin McCullar’s defense has been overall solid, with his offense a step behind.
Charting the Hawks 