Kansas Jayhawks Q&A: KJ Adams, Arterio Morris were winners from KU basketball exhibition

The Kansas men’s basketball team played an exhibition game Thursday against Puerto Rico Select at Ruben Rodriguez Coliseum.

The Jayhawks won 106-71, with transfer guard Arterio Morris leading KU with 20 points and forward KJ Adams chipping in with 19.

Hunter Dickinson had an up-and-down performance in his on-court KU debut and the Jayhawks shot well from 3-point range.

Here are some fun thoughts (and slight overreactions) following the first look at the 2023-24 Jayhawks in a full-game, non-intrasquad setting.

KJ Adams has a real chance to be drafted

Say it with me — KJ Adams has an NBA future. I’ve beaten the drums on this idea for a while, but I genuinely believe it.

Thursday just reinforced that for me. Adams finished with 19 points on 7-for-10 shooting. He went 1 for 2 from 3.

Last season, Adams did everything pretty well on the court besides shooting. He’s spent all offseason working on his game and his jump shot looked fluid when he brought it out.

Playing alongside Dickinson will be a major boon for Adams. It will allow him to guard players closer to his height, so he will be less tired and an even better defender.

We could also see Adams showcase his defensive versatility when he’s switched onto guards, which will undoubtedly happen more now that he won’t be parked in the paint.

On offense, he can focus on playing to his strengths — cutting to the rim and being a secondary ball handler on offense.

KU coach Bill Self praised Adams postgame.

“KJ is a good player, man,” Self said. “We saw what he can do a little bit when he’s not having to play the pivot. I think the presence of Hunter will help him. His presence certainly helps Hunter.”

Nick Timberlake may start as a starter, but Morris is coming

Whenever Morris was in the game, KU’s offense was electric. Pure and simple — Morris can score from anywhere on the floor, which was on display Thursday.

Morris’ athleticism, ball-handling and overall game allow Kansas to play an up-tempo style that Self wants. When Morris is in the game — KU’s offense is difficult to stop in transition and flows well.

Self has talked about perimeter shooting issues and Timberlake helps alleviate that with his excellent 3-point shooting. Still, I think Morris’ talent is too good to keep on the bench or play him fewer minutes than the other two-guard candidates.

Morris and Timberlake played almost the same amount on Thursday, with Morris playing three seconds more (20:15).

The minutes battle at the two-spot, between Timberlake, Morris and Elmarko Jackson, will be fascinating to watch this year.

Zach Clemence not redshirting?

After the first game, Self said Zach Clemence will “probably” redshirt, leaving the door a little more open than previously thought with the Jayhawk stretch big man.

Clemence previously said he would redshirt when he decided to come back to KU in June. Self had also said Clemence was redshirting before (slightly) opening the door to something else.

So, what exactly has changed? It seems like Clemence is putting on quite a showing at practice.

KU color commentator Greg Gurley said on-air that Clemence scored 59 combined points in two scrimmages before the team left for Puerto Rico.

Clemence finished with eight points on 3-for-7 shooting on Thursday, making 2 of 5 3s. He looked more comfortable than he did much of last season, but how he plays in the next two exhibition games (against much harder competition) will be pivotal.

With that, it’s time for another Kansas Jayhawks Q&A. As always, thank you for the questions!

Great question! He could play many different positions — KU tight end Mason Fairchild told me that backup quarterback Jason Bean has lined up anywhere on the offense except at tight end. Still, Fairchild didn’t count that out, as Kansas is trying to use Bean’s speed as much as possible.

I anticipate Bean playing snaps at wide receiver along with his usual backup QB duties. The Jayhawks coaching staff clearly looks at him as a do-it-all Swiss army knife.

There was even some return-man talk this offseason.

The two roadblocks I keep returning to are KU’s defense and the overall strength of the schedule. After Week One against Missouri State, there’s no such thing as a “gimme” for Kansas the rest of the year.

While the defense, for me, remains the most significant question mark. Earlier this week, KU defensive coordinator Brian Borland acknowledged that the Jayhawks’ defense was a major weak spot last season and he’s looking to change that.

He said he didn’t plan to make big-scale changes to the defense and is confident with his group. He’s hoping for Kansas’ defense to be consistently good week in and week out, which remains to be seen.

Last season, KU allowed 38 points per game to FBS opponents, and last season’s sacks leader Lonnie Phelps departed for the NFL. A huge question remains: Who will help fill Phelps’ void to get consistent pressure on opposing QBs?

Producing pressure will be vital in whether Kansas’ defense takes a step forward or not.

I’m not worried about KU’s offense, but if Kansas’ defense isn’t better, I think it’ll reflect on the record and the Jayhawks could finish worse than last season.

I am very excited about football season. Very stoked to cover my first entire season of Kansas football and see how it all plays out.

The biggest game is the Sunflower Showdown. Kansas has lost 14 straight games to Kanas State and I think beating Kansas State would be a massive win for the program.

How KU plays against Texas could set the tone for the year. If the Jayhawks keep it somewhat competitive against a College Football Playoff candidate or even somehow win, that confidence will carry over to the rest of the season.

I keep rocking between five and six wins. It’s tough to predict because I believe in quarterback Jalon Daniels’ talent and Kansas’ offense, but that defense worries me.

I have no idea what to expect and would not feel comfortable declaring Kansas will finish over .500 without seeing the first couple of games.

As for KU basketball, the athleticism on the team is exceptional.

The Jayhawks will be a nightmare to guard in transition. And if they are making threes? It is going to lead to a lot of early blowouts.

The lineup I am looking forward to most is Morris, Jackson, Kevin McCullar, Adams, and Parker Braun. Why? Because everyone can run up and down the floor and finish above the rim.

This is where the hire of former K-State Wildcat Sean Snyder comes in. Snyder is the special assistant to head coach Lance Leipold and will do a little bit of everything, but his special teams resume is notable.

Snyder spent the 2020 and 2021 seasons as USC’s special teams coordinator. He led USC’s special teams to a No. 1 national rank by Football Outsiders. The Trojans were in the national top 25 in several related statistics, including 10th in kickoff return defense and 25th in net punting.

Snyder was also named the national Special Teams Coordinator of the Year in 2015 by both FootballScoop and Phil Steele. He again received the honor from Phil Steele in 2017.

I think KU’s special teams are in good hands, even if Snyder isn’t solely focusing on that.