The Bench continues to get worse. It is now projected to provide -3.39 WAR (given a 36-game schedule), which is nearly 1.50 WAR worse than the current-worse bench in the Self-era (which was his first season). If anyone, anyone at all, could provide solid minutes, this problem would be drastically reduced. Self needs about 40 minutes per game off his bench. If one guy could provide 20 consistent minutes around 0.00 value (think Christian Braun as a freshman), then the additional 20 could be spot-minutes. Self wouldn’t have to play multiple negative-value players together that often and could rotate this hypothetical 6th man around while his starters each got a break.
Should Michael Jankovich get a shot? He can’t defend, but then again it isn’t like the others bench guards/wings play great defense. At the very least he’d be a surprise for a possession or two.
For what it’s worth, Self has basically given up on his bench.
Money quote:
“I think what we’ve got to do is get our starting five playing better,” he said after Saturday’s loss. “Our bench isn’t such where they’re going to make a huge difference in us winning or not winning. The way they can contribute the most is defending, not turning it over, getting confidence from doing the things that don’t show up in the stat sheet and then they’ll get more confidence moving forward.”
Losing by 23 is not on the reserves who only played 41 combined minutes out of 200, this much is true. Still, it would be nice if the reserves could actually defend. They really aren’t doing that well. But KU’s success is going to be determined by whether or not the starting 5 plays well. Unless KU fouls out over half of its starters, like it did at Kansas State, crunch-time will feature KU’s best lineup against the opponent’s best. Most of the time, KU’s will be better.
Charting the Hawks 