A Deep Dive – Jalen Wilson

Without a doubt, KU’s biggest off-season win was the announced return of Jalen Wilson. The incoming redshirt junior has started 53 games in his career, the bulk of his two full seasons as a healthy Jayhawk. But how good can he be this season? Let’s try and find out.

Let’s first look at Jalen’s per game stats since coming to Lawrence.

https://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/players/jalen-wilson-1.html

After being injured for nearly the entire 2020 season, Wilson emerged as KU’s best scorer to begin his redshirt freshman campaign in the 2021 season. He averaged 15.1 PPG over his first 10 games that year. And while he cooled off some, he finished 2021 as KU’s third-leading scorer and leading rebounder. Coming into 2022, Wilson was expected to pick up where he left off. But after poor off-court choices and a suspension to start the season, Wilson started slow, only reaching double-figures in scoring in his 7^th game of the season (team’s 10^th game). But he picked it up, finishing the season with double-figure scoring games in 22 of his 37 games played. In the NCAA Tourney, he posted double-figures in 5 of the 6 games.

Where Wilson has shown strength is in isolation offense. A great example came against Providence in the Sweet 16. When KU needed a basket after giving up the lead, they went to Wilson. See 1:06:40 of this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oZ4dOprMnHI&t=2746s

Wilson got a good matchup and exploited it, but this has been his m.o. while at Kansas. This play is memorable because it came at a big moment, but Wilson has had this ability since he got to Kansas.

One area Wilson improved was on-ball defense. A few minutes after his and-1, he made this play against a Providence guard. See 1:08:53 in video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oZ4dOprMnHI&t=2746s

A season prior, or even earlier in the year, Wilson would have gotten beat. Not only does he keep his man in front, he also makes the steal. Again, this was against one of Providence’s guards, not a plodding forward. Just looking at the official stats, we see that Wilson doubled his steal output from 2021 to 2022. This tells some of the story regarding his defensive improvement. But there is more here.

Value Stats

First, we will compare Wilson’s offensive stats from 2021 to 2022.

The columns can be understood thusly. Off Eff is Wilson’s offensive efficiency. He was more efficient in 2022. PtsAF/gm is Points Accounted for per game. This takes into account all points scored and assisted, while recognizing the added value of an unassisted basket vs. a basket the player was assisted on. In 2021 Wilson produced more points per game than in 2022. TS% is a version of true shooting percentage, with Wilson shooting better overall in 2022. Both ShotFreq and Impact look at the player’s usage, with 20% being an average usage. The team needed more offense from Wilson during his freshman season than they did during his sophomore campaign. The final number tells the whole story. Wilson’s offensive value was steady between seasons. He produced about 1 point per game offensively above that of a bubble-level player. He was more efficient with less volume in 2022 when compared to 2021.

Looking at defense, we see that Wilson’s Def Eff (defensive efficiency) improved immensely. The next columns tell us why. In 2021 he gave up 13.5 points per 60 possession while on defense, a number which improved to 11.0 points per 60 in 2022. The possession winner columns, PW/gm and PW/60, indicate that his rebounding/steal/forced turnover numbers were basically flat. The last column shows that Wilson went from a negative-value defender to a solidly positive-value one. Such a jump is rare.

This table combines the offensive and defensive value scores into one number.

2023 Projections

Without a doubt, this season Jalen will again be asked to take on a larger scoring load. Bart Torvik projects him to average 16.0 PPG. Given an increase in usage, his offensive value should jump as long as he can remain somewhat efficient. We project him to be +1.45 on offense, which would be about a 1/2-point increase. This is a conservative estimate which acknowledges that opponents will focus on stopping him more now that he is the primary threat on offense.

For defense, we project him to be +1.34. This is essentially the same as last season. It’s clear that he made gains defensively, primarily in the areas of lateral quickness and on-ball defense. For him to add more defensive value this season would require additional improvements on defense. But he is already a good rebounder. Perhaps in steals or forced turnovers? Given his position, this is unlikely.

Another consideration is that Wilson’s defense might take a step back as he takes on more of a scoring load. This isn’t uncommon to see. It happened to Sherron Collins in his junior season (2009) and Devon Dotson in his sophomore season (2020). As a player expends more energy on the offensive end, he has less to give on defense.

At +2.79, Jalen Wilson’s projected PPG AB +/- is +0.48 from 2022 and +2.15 from 2021. This isn’t a huge leap from last season, but it’s still a decent-size jump from his freshman year. Bill Self said that Wilson needed to have an all-American type year for Kansas to be as successful as it wants to be, which we can take to mean winning the conference and earning a top 2 seed in order to have decent odds at making a Final Four run. We certainly agree. The play of Jalen Wilson will determine a lot with regards to how Kansas does this year.

2023 Preview

Today KenPom released his preseason rankings for the 2023 basketball season. In it, KU is 8^th in the country and 3^rd in the conference. By his estimate, KU should go 20-9 in its scheduled games (it still has 2 games against unknown opponents in the Bahamas Tournament). The AP also released its top 25, having KU at 5.

Charting the Hawks will also attempt to evaluate KU’s true ranking by looking at this year’s roster, and then build up to a team prediction based on the sum of the parts.

Returning Players:

Dejuan Harris (RS Jr.) 2023 PPGAB Projection: -0.28

Jalen Wilson (RS Jr.) 2023 PPGAB Projection: +2.79

Joseph Yesufu (Jr.) 2023 PPGAB Projection: -0.35

K.J. Adams (So.) 2023 PPGAB Projection: +0.28

Bobby Pettiford (So.) 2023 PPGAB Projection: -0.59

Zach Clemence (So.) 2023 PPGAB Projection: +0.47

Michael Jankovich (Sr.) 2023 PPGAB Projection: -0.36

Kansas has 7 returnees, with Harris and Wilson also returning as starters. Of these, 6 are rotation (non-walk-on) players. The projections shown here expect about a 0.50 PPG increase per player compared to last season, with minutes-played estimates having a factor. Jalen Wilson is expected to be KU’s best player, and has the best potential of any Jayhawk to finish with All-American honors. Coach Self hit the nail on the head when he stated that for this team to reach its potential, it needs Jalen to play ta an All-American level. Normally a score of +4.50 or even +5.00 is All-American. Wilson has the best chance of any Jayhawk to get there, but history says we shouldn’t expect this. What Wilson has going for him is that he will get a lot more opportunities to score with no McCormack, Agbaji, or Martin to generate offense through. This could boost his value score above his projected number.

Incoming Transfers:

Kevin McCullar (Sr.) 2023 PPGAB Projection: +1.94

Cam Martin (Rs Sr.) 2023 PPGAB Projection: -0.31

McCullar’s projection is taken using box-score stats from his previous time at Texas Tech, with the caveat that his defensive plays weren’t charted. The tape would indicate he is a superb defender, with the ability to score at times. He won’t give up easy baskets, and should be an anchor on that end.

Incoming Freshmen:

Kyle Cuffe (RS Fr.) 2023 PPGAB Projection: -0.35

Gradey Dick (Fr.) 2023 PPGAB Projection: +1.57

M.J. Rice (Fr.) 2023 PPGAB Projection: +0.69

Zuby Ejiofor (Fr.) 2023 PPGAB Projection: -0.18

Ernest Udeh (Fr.) 2023 PPGAB Projection: +0.12

Charlie McCarthy (RS Fr.) 2023 PPGAB Projection: -0.53

Dillon Wilhite (RS Fr.) 2023 PPGAB Projection: -0.53

With freshmen, the projections are tough. The only real framework is their rankings in the class as well as any hype around them. What we use is historic freshman value based upon incoming class rank. This isn’t a perfect way to do it of course, but higher-ranked players do tend to perform better. For Gradey Dick, his high incoming ranking has him projected to have player value somewhere between the freshman seasons of Kelly Oubre 2015 or Perry Ellis 2013. M.J. Rice is somewhere around Ochai Agbaji 2019. Udeh compares to Cole Aldrich 2008 or Markieff Morris 2009. Ejiofor would be closest to Carlton Bragg 2016. Again, these are broad estimates that are meant to incorporate the possibility of over or underachievement.

The TEAM ranking then attempts to take in these player numbers and combine them in a way which recognizes minute distribution. We know Wilson, Harris, and McCullar should get starters’ minutes. There is much to be determined for the 5-spot, as well as who among the other guards and wings can win minutes. The team has a lot of depth.

The number for the team that was calculated is +5.76. This would put KU at around a 4-seed should it win and lose the expected number of games a team of such strength might. While this may seem a bit bearish, remember that losing Agbaji, McCormack, and Martin to graduation was tough. And losing Braun to the draft was the biggest lost in terms of expectation; him not returning drops the 2023 team down a couple seed-lines.

Worst Case, Best Case, Medium Case

Within reason, the worst case scenario would be for Kansas to struggle due to lack of outside shooting and experience. Teams would force the Hawks to knock down shots; forcing guys like Wilson (26.3%), Harris (32.3%), Yesufu (26.2%), Clemence (27.3%), and McCullar (31.1%) to hit open 3’s (3-point percentage from 2022). Another struggle could be the abundance of depth without much differentiation. The 5-spot is still up for grabs, and the D-1 experience at this position is lacking to say the least. Either freshman big has the athleticism, but can either anchor inside in his first year? Clemence showed some talent last year, but played 10+ minutes in a game only twice the entire season. Cam Martin did get a year of practice to adjust to the speed and talent of this level, but how much of his D-2 success can lever up? It may be that K.J. Adams starts the season at the “5,” at least in the games before KU faces true low-post skill.

The point guard position is also another question. Dejuan Harris is loved by fans, but he hasn’t produced the numbers to match this affection. He will need to be a bigger scorer than he was last year. He scored at a rate below half of what the team did as a whole last year. His offensive value from scoring was -4.11 points below bubble per 100 possessions, easily the worst of the top 8 guys in the rotation. While we expect improvement, it would have to be monumental for Harris to become a top 2 or 3 scorer (as Bart Torvik projects). That kind of leap is rare. Moving on to Yesufu and Pettiford; neither were suitable backups last season. In fact, each was even worse than Harris on offense, along with being subpar defenders. Worst case scenario: KU gets a middling-seed (6 or worse) and gets bounced in the First Round.

Switching gears to a reasonable best-case scenario, Kansas finds a nice rotation of 8-9 guys which balance to fill each position nicely. Wilson has an all-American type year, and bolstered by strong defense, the Jayhawks go on to win 25 or so games and get a top-2 seed in the Tournament. From there, a Final Four run is possible, with a very low chance at cutting down the nets in April. Final Four is a good reasonable goal for the 2023 team.

The medium scenario places KU at about a 4-seed. They will compete with the top teams in the Big 12 and maybe even share the title. The freshmen show potential but also reminders of their age. Jalen has a good but not elite year, and has to carry the team for much of the way. The defense is solid but poor outside shooting occasionally plagues them. A second-weekend NCAA Tournament is within expectation, but after that they should be underdogs in the later rounds barring massive upsets.

Wrapping up Last Season

Finally, we look back at last season’s projections. For a TEAM score, we projected +9.50, which was basically matched at +9.46 following the Big 12 Tournament. Thanks to an outstanding 6-game run in the NCAA Tourney, KU finished at +10.21 to exceed expectations and win the National Championship.

But while the TEAM projection was quite accurate, how the team got there was not. Ochai Agbaji (+4.39) and Christian Braun (+3.91) exceeded their low pre-season estimates. Meanwhile, Remy Martin (+1.06) and David McCormack (+1.35) did not achieve what they had been expected to. Jalen Wilson (+2.31) was another bright spot, whereas Joseph Yesufu (-1.06) was very disappointing as an incoming transfer.

Kansas 72, North Carolina 69

Allen Fieldhouse has been redecorated. The 2022 banner has now been raised, so it seems like a good time to review the National Championship games in terms of player value.

Game Summary:

David McCormack was the game MVP for the Jayhawks. His value above bubble was added in the final two minutes. He made a put-back off his own miss to put KU up 70-69, walled up Armando Bacot to force a turnover, and then made the final basket of the game over Brady Manek to extend the score to 72-69. These three possessions made the difference.

Remy Martin was just below McCormack in terms of player value. He hit 3 huge second-half 3’s as well as a driving layup, with each shot answering Carolina runs which had brought the Tar Heels closer to the lead. Martin was KU’s best player in the tournament, adding 4.11 PPG above bubble during the 6 tournament games.

Christian Braun shook off a tough first half to finish in the black. His tough contest on the final shot made it impossible for Carolina to hit a miracle 3 to tie the game. Mitch Lightfoot fouled a lot, but when he was in he did enough to add value. He made his own shot, grabbed an offensive rebound, and forced a turnover to balance out the 3 FT’s he gave up. Ochai Agbaji didn’t record a counting play after his missed layup with 5:53 to play. but throughout the game, he did more good than harm, particularly in the first half when other Jayhawks were struggling. K.J. Adams contributed one play, forcing UNC into a turnover in the first half. Jalen Coleman-Lands grabbed a rebound for his contribution.

Jalen Wilson turned away from a dreadful first half to contribute to a comeback for the ages. Although he finished below bubble, he was very close to neutral. Dejuan Harris had the worse game of any Jayhawk, with his best stretch coming at the beginning of the second half. His worse blunder was stepping on the sidelines with 4 seconds left to give the Heels a final shot to tie. But by only scoring 2 points on 5 shots, he was KU’s weakest link in the game.

The TEAM score of +7.29 was KU’s 11th consecutive positive, above-bubble performance. While not the best overall game of the season, it was enough to get the win and with it KU’s 6th banner.

Kansas 72 TCU 68

Jalen Wilson played fine defense to earn his 5th team-MVP game of the season

Game Summary:

KU struggled to put TCU away, but ultimately prevailed thanks to a late defensive stop (Dejuan Harris block). Jalen Wilson was the team’s best player, only allowing 7 points on defense while grabbing 9 defensive rebounds and forcing 3 TCU turnovers (1 live-ball steal, 2 dead-ball). This defensive effort overshadowed a quiet offensive night, as he only took 12.6% of his team’s shots while in the game. He did produce over 10 points of offense on an efficient 1.94 points per possession used.

Dejuan Harris had his best game in some time, scoring 11 with 4 assists on 1.30 points per possession used. He also played solid defense, giving up 9 points but also coming away with a key block on TCU’s Miles with 4 seconds to play. Had TCU converted it would have been a 1 point game, but the block sealed KU’s win. Christian Braun was efficient on offense (1.95 points per possession) to earn a quiet, but positive, value score. Mitch Lightfoot and Zach Clemence were both basically neutral players.

On the negative side of the ledger, Ochai Agbaji turned a solid first-half into another high-volume shot-output game which harmed his team’s chances. The 22 points were good, but he had 11 misses and 3 turnovers to get those points. His 0.84 points per possession used was well below the team’s 1.07 for the game. Defensively, he allowed 13 points, the most of any Jayhawk last night.

David McCormack didn’t shoot well from the field, but was solid again from the FT line. He did give up some baskets inside, which cost him. Joseph Yesufu had a poor shooting outing, as did Remy Martin in limited playing time. Jalen Coleman-Lands had a few nice hustle rebounds, but gave up one basket while missing his only shot attempt. K.J. Adams’ only impact was fouling a 3-point shooter to allow TCU to cut a 6-point deficit to 3.

The TEAM score of +1.17 was KU’s third-consecutive game under +3. Based on opponent, location, and pace; KU’s offense did slightly better than its defense did; but both sides of the ball showed a mediocre performance for a team of KU’s caliber.

Kansas 71 Oklahoma 69

Jalen Wilson's game-high 22 points and 9 boards tops ratings after big second half pushes KU past Oklahoma | The KUsports.com Ratings | KUsports.com — Wilson had his 4th team-MVP of the season

Game Summary:

Kansas was carried to victory by Jalen Wilson and Christian Braun, the only two Hawks to finish with above-bubble numbers for the game. Wilson produced over 22 points of value on excellent efficiency, while only giving up 8 points on defense. Braun was not quite as productive or efficient (although he was still very solid), but his defense was even stronger than Wilson’s (7 points allowed, more rebounds/steals/forced TO’s).

Zach Clemence came back from injury to help spark the Kansas comeback. He did finish with a negative score, which is more due to the fickle nature of a one-game moment than in how he played. He knocked down an assisted three, grabbed a few rebounds, and played solid defense for the most part. The only downsides to his performance was the missed free throws and a late and deep three that his opponent hit during OU’s desperation spurt during the final minute. If Zach gets more minutes and plays like he did, he will start putting up positive game scores.

The other Jayhawks were negative performers. David McCormack started out strong, but his defense (16 points allowed) negated his inside scoring presence. Neither Mitch Lightfoot nor K.J. Adams did much aside from Adams’s strong defense on the final possession of the game.

Ochai Agbaji had trouble scoring with the tight defense Oklahoma was applying. He forced quite a few bad shots, hurting his efficiency and thus his value. Dejuan Harris was okay at times, but his weakness handling the ball in the final seconds almost cost KU the game. As a PG, he has to be stronger with his team ahead in the final moments. Coleman-Lands and Yesufu did next to nothing in their limited minutes.

The team score of +0.16 places their performance right on the bubble-line. It was the team’s worst performance since Kentucky and worst conference game since the 1-point win against Iowa State at home.

The four non-post starters played 39, 38, 38, and 37 minutes. The reserve guards played less than 8 minutes, while D-Mac/Lightfoot/Adams/Clemence split 40 minutes at the 5. Using the adjusted HHI formula, this was KU’s most concentrated lineup of the season (0.781). Self tends to sub quite a bit less in close games, but his rotations Saturday were extreme.

Texas 79 Kansas 76

Wilson's double-double good for top spot on a tough night in Texas | The KUsports.com Ratings | KUsports.com — Jalen Wilson had his best over-all performance Monday night against Texas, earning his third team-MVP of the season

Game Summary:

In a disappointing result, Kansas gave up a four-point lead with a minute to play to lose 79-76. Texas scored the final 7 points to send the Jayhawks home with their second conference loss. The game was a high-scoring affair considering how good Texas’s defense has been this season.

Jalen Wilson earns team MVP honors for a value score of over +10 points. He scored and rebounded well, while giving up only 9 points in nearly 32 minutes of play. Joseph Yesufu also had his best game of the season, pouring in 8 points and an assist with efficient numbers. He gave up 5 points in 15 minutes, which is right on the pace of an average defender. This was Yesufu’s first time to outscore his man since the Missouri game. The game seems to be coming back to him, which can only help this team.

Other positives included Ochai Agbaji and Christian Braun. Och played fine with constant attention, he continued to defend and rebound. Braun had a nice game going until the last 3:30, missing 2 FT’s and allowing his man a tip-in and then a midrange jumper during UT’s 9-4 closing stretch.

Dejuan Harris did not have a great game, but he still distributed it well enough (5 assists) to show a serviceable value number. David McCormack’s solid offensive game (1.29 PPPaf, 16 points, 3 off rebounds) was erased with a dreadful defensive game (21 points allowed). Texas continued to attack him by having his man set high ball-screens. He was slow rotating back on numerous occasions. He did give up the late banked-in 3, a lucky shot but one that was possible due to slow rotation.

The other reserves were not value-adding in their limited minutes of play. K.J. Adams showed poor post defense. Mitch Lightfoot was the same. Bobby Pettiford had a disastrous turnover which led to a late 3 to end the first half.

The TEAM score of +6.80 is below the season average (+9.91), but still within the realm of respectability. KU played well enough to win were it not for a run of poor play and bad luck down the stretch. The performance was good enough to win most nights, just not against a Top 20 team on the road.

Kansas 67 Oklahoma 64

Game Summary:

Jalen Wilson and Christian Braun led the Jayhawks to their fourth conference win with efficient offense and solid defense. Kansas also got positive contributions from Mitch Lightfoot and David McCormack, and Ochai Agbaji came back from a poor first half and wrist injury to make big plays down the stretch. KU’s small guards each had poor showings. Remy Martin did not play well in his return, and Dejuan Harris was outplayed by Oklahoma’s guards for most of the night. Yesufu gave up a bucket in his 2 minutes of game action. K.J. Adams posted a negative value game for the first time since Missouri.

The team’s score of +8.33 is slightly below their season-average (12th best of 17 games so far), yet was still good enough to get a win.

Kansas forward Jalen Wilson, right, celebrates with teammate Christian Braun (2) in the second... — *Jalen Wilson earned his second team-MVP honors with his 16-point performance in Norman.*

2022 Kansas Jayhawks

The 2022 Kansas Jayhawks finished with a record of 34-6 (14-4), having won the Big 12 Regular Season and Tournament Championships. The team earned earned a 1-seed in the NCAA Tournament and won the National Championship. The team’s Sports Reference link is here.

Offense

At +7.01, the 2022 team was KU’s third-best offense in the Self era, slightly behind 2017 and 2018. The team had an excellent mix of offensive talent, led by Ochai Agbaji. Agbaji finished with 17.0 points produced per game, which translated to +2.72 offensive points above a bubble-level player. David McCormack was KU’s second most valuable offensive player on a per game basis, producing 9.8 points per game but also adding value through offensive rebounding. His Offensive Efficiency of 1.35 was easily the highest of any starter.

Christian Braun was a steady player on offense, scoring in double figures in all but 5 games. He was good at the rim, shot well from outside, assisted nicely, and had his fair share of stick-backs and other hustle plays to bring value. Remy Martin got hot late in the season, carrying the Jayhawks when the team needed him. Had he been healthy the entire season, his numbers would have looked very good. Even where they are, he provided +1.33 points more per game than a replacement option would have been expected to add.

Jalen Wilson finished a fraction below +1.00, held back by poor perimeter shooting but buffered by rebounding and strong finishes at the rim. Given how many big moments he had, its crazy to think of him as only the fifth-best offensive player during the 2022 season.

Off the bench, both Jalen Coleman-Lands and Mitch Lightfoot added decent offensive value through efficient shooting numbers.

Defense

KU’s defense of +3.19 was the weaker side of the ball all season. But the team played well when it mattered most, averaging a +7.75 value score in its last 10 games.

On the season, Christian Braun was KU’s most valuable defender, giving up 9.7 points per 60 possessions and grabbing a fair share of rebounds for a wing. Fellow wings Agbaji and Wilson were also solid and versatile defensive pieces, with Och being a better on-ball defender and Wilson being an excellent defensive rebounder.

Point guard Dajuan Harris was KU’s leading steal-man, coming away with 58 live-ball steals on the year. He also forced 50 (dead-ball) turnovers, for 108 total. Given the fact he turned the ball over only 70 times himself, he was +38 for the year with regards to taking care of the ball. This is what you want to see from your main ball-handler.

Total Adjusted PPG +/-

Ochai Agbaji was KU’s best player all season, and his Adj. PPG +/- of +4.39 was the 24th best season of any Jayhawk in the last 26 seasons (1997-2022). Christian Braun at +3.91 was not far behind, producing the 29th best Adj. PPG +/- score over that time period. Of the 7-man rotation that played the bulk of the minutes during NCAA Tournament play, 6 had positive scores (Agbaji, Braun, Wilson, McCormack, Martin, Lightfoot).

Unbelievably, the TEAM score of +10.21 was KU’s 12th best season from 1997-2022. This speaks to the consistency of the program. 2022 may not have been KU’s most talented team, but they played well when it mattered most. Over the team’s final 10 games, the Jayhawks were +14.22.

This waterfall chart shows how much value in Points Above Bubble that each Jayhawk added. The bulk of KU’s success came from its wings. The Jayhawks had 7 rotation players produce positive value, a sign of depth and maturity. However, only 1 of these 7 was a point guard type.

MVP’s

In the 40 games KU played, here are the total game MVP’s for KU players ranked from most team-MVP’s to least. Agbaji 11, Braun 10, McCormack 8, Wilson 5, Martin 3, Harris 1, Coleman-Lands 1, Lightfoot 1.

After adjusting for opponent-quality, here are the percent of games with positive value score by player from best to worst (above 50% performers): Braun 83%, Agbaji 74%, Wilson 68%, Clemence 63%, Martin 57%, McCormack 55%, Adams 51%, Coleman-Lands 51%.

Points Above Bubble vs. Points Above Average

Ideally, each KU rotation player would be at a “bubble level” of value, but this isn’t the case most years. To add context to each player’s season, we can lower the skill level of the comparative player to that of the average D-1 player. When we do this, notice how each player’s Pts AA is higher than Pts AB, and how all rotation players except Joseph Yesufu and Bobby Pettiford have performed above that of a D-1 average player.

This incorporates total minutes, so Dajuan Harris’s ability to play as much as he has helps his Pts AA far more than someone like Joe Yesufu or Jalen Coleman-Lands. Focusing more on Harris, what we can say is that although he isn’t good enough to carry a team to the heights KU has reached, he has been a steady role-player that hasn’t hurt the team’s chances either. The 2022 team was carried by Agbaji, Braun, Wilson, with McCormack and Martin stepping up in the Big Dance as well. But durable guys like Harris and Lightfoot were good enough to keep KU at the high level they’ve had this season. If KU had to replace its role players (specifically Harris, Coleman-Lands, and Lightfoot) with average D-1 players, the team would have been worse off on the year.

National Champions

During the team’s six-game NCAA Tournament run, here are the Adj. PPG +/- scores:

Dajuan Harris -1.02
Remy Martin +4.11
Ochai Agbaji +3.11
Christian Braun +3.42
David McCormack +2.53
Jalen Wilson +1.46
Joseph Yesufu -0.84
Mitch Lightfoot +1.76
Jalen Coleman-Lands +0.02
K.J. Adams -0.06

Remy Martin was the most valuable Jayhawk during March Madness, after an up-and-down year plagued by missed games and injuries. David McCormack stepped up late, becoming KU’s best player in the final three games of the season. He may not have won Final 4 MOP officially, but he was the biggest reason KU cut down the nets in New Orleans. His biggest plays came during the final moments of the National Championship game. After missing a turnaround shot, he collected his own rebound and finished it to turn a 1-point deficit into a 1-point lead with 1:21 left. He then played solid defense against Carolina’s Armando Bacot (who went down with an injury), forcing a turnover. On the other end, with the shot clock winding down, McCormack got deep inside position and scored again to extend the lead to 3, which would be the final margin. Down 72-69 and with only seconds to spare, the Tar Heels would fire 3 contested 3’s that were all off the mark, cementing Kansas as the 2022 NCAA Champions.