KU basketball’s Johnny Furphy earning NBA player comparisons ... after just 2 starts

Kansas freshman guard Johnny Furphy has made two consecutive starts for the first time this season, and he’s already getting NBA player comparisons from his teammates.

No really — he is.

Furphy finished with 15 points, shooting 5-for-6 from the field in KU’s dominant 90-66 win at Oklahoma State on Tuesday. He added seven rebounds, two assists and two blocks.

It was an outing so impressive that teammate Hunter Dickinson compared him to a young NBA star that Dickinson had previously played with at Michigan.

“I think he’s like a young Franz (Wagner),” Dickinson said. “He reminds me of him, not just because he’s foreign. It might be something to do with it, but also just his potential and his ability to become a really good defender if he keeps buying into it. He’s probably a little bit better of a shooter than Franz was at this stage, but he’s got lot of potential.

“He could be really good for us now, and then obviously his best years of basketball are definitely ahead of him, for sure.”

Perhaps Furphy isn’t quite the caliber of player Wagner was — the Orlando Magic picked him No. 8 overall in the 2021 NBA Draft — but the potential is there.

Furphy could very well be a future NBA lottery pick. And a glimpse into that possible future was on full display Tuesday night.

Within the game’s first five minutes, he had two fast-break buckets and skied in for a rebound amongst a group of OSU defenders. He finished the first half shooting 3-for-3 from 3-point range.

It’s no coincidence that two of KU’s best offensive games of the season have come since he replaced fellow freshman Elmarko Jackson in the starting lineup.

Furphy is KU’s best energy creator outside of veteran forward KJ Adams. Good things tend to happen with the Australian freshman on the court.

After all, creating energy is what coach Bill Self told Furphy to do when he promoted him to the starting five.

“He just wants me to be aggressive, and he tells me that everyday,” Furphy said. “When I’m aggressive, I can help out the other guys on the floor.”

And after each bucket or play, it’s clear Furphy is gaining confidence. Just look at his face, which usually has a sly grin after a big play.

“I’m feeling more comfortable out there,” Furphy said. “It’s knowing my role out there and just trying to execute.”

Slowly, the Furphy that the KU coaching staff and players hoped to see is coming to fruition.

Before he arrived in August, Self told the players about him on KU’s Puerto Rico trip. Naturally, his teammates checked out his highlights and got excited.

“Knowing he’s 6-9, he can play the wing — play one (through) four if he wanted to,” KU guard Nick Timberlake said. “Tonight, he showed exactly that.”

His highlights even left high-flyer Adams in awe.

“I remember looking at his Instagram, just seeing his crazy dunks, especially a lot of athletic plays,” Adams said. “But I didn’t know he could shoot like he does.”

Self came away impressed by Furphy’s breakout game, calling him “a pro out there.”

But the praise didn’t stop there.

“Guys like playing with him,” Self said. “He’s really bright. His length defensively, even though people try to take advantage of him in some ways, he sneakily defensively gives people problems. He had a couple of blocked shots tonight.”

That said, Self thinks the Wagner comparison is a tad premature.

“You guys are getting a little carried away,” Self said. “I think size-wise, it’s comparable. Size-wise, he kind of looks like (Mike) Dunleavy, doesn’t he? ... I even told J-Will (former Duke All-American Jay Williams) that today at shootaround, just physically like that.

“He’s a long ways from being that. He’s got to get stronger in a lot of things, but he’s doing really well.”