Kansas Basketball comes into the 2023-2024 season with high expectations. However, they lost to the Bahamian National Team the other day. The Jayhawks split their games with the Bahamas, and their loss overseas puts people in frustration mode. Therefore, is Kansas overrated after a loss to the Bahamas? This article examines the below
Kansas Basketball Loses to The Bahamas
Kansas falls to the Bahamian National Team in the final game of its foreign tour. 23 for Dajuan Harris. 16 and 9 for Hunter Dickinson. 19, eight rebounds, and seven assists for Kevin McCullar.
— Jon Rothstein (@JonRothstein) August 7, 2023
Why The Loss Isn’t Concerning?
The Bahamas Have Pros
First off, Kansas won on Saturday against the Bahamas. Nevertheless, the Bahamian National team has pros and ended the Jayhawks’ 35-game winning streak in exhibitions. The Bahamas have NBA Players. More specifically, NBA players like Buddy Hield, and Eric Gordon. Gordon and Hield are excellent pros. Gordon is now a member of the Phoenix Suns and averaged 12.4 points a game last season. He is a good shooter at 37.1% from three and averaged over 16 points per game for his NBA Career. Hield is also a very talented NBA player. Buddy averaged 16.8 points, shooting 42.5% from three. Gordon and Hield are high-level NBA players, so panic is not a word to describe Kansas’ current state.
Gordon did not play in the Saturday matchup but did play Monday and contributed 12 points to the game. Hield contributed 19 in this contest, so both stars made an impact in their win. Kansas has future pros themselves, but Hield and Gordon are high-level and respected players. Therefore, they reach a different level and should beat a team of college guys.
Dajuan Harris Jr. Stepped Up
When people talk about Kansas, they speak about Hunter Dickinson. However, people need to talk about the play of Dajuan Harris Jr. Dajuan had 23 points in their loss on Monday and was 10/14 from the field. More importantly, he shot the three-ball at a high level going 3 for 7 in that Monday game. Harris Jr. explained the importance of shooting the three effectively, ” “I’ve got to be able to make shots anyway because teams like to go under on me a lot, so — because they don’t want me getting in the lane.” Dajuan is one of the best point guards in the country, and his production from the perimeter makes Kansas a threat to win it all in March. Shooting 40.5% from three last season, his willingness to take threes spaces the court for their offense.
His ability to take a more assertive role on offense makes Kansas better because he finds his teammates. He makes the game easier, but his scoring is essential for a better offensive flow. It is good to see Harris Jr. putting in the work to get Kansas to the final game.
What Did Kansas Learn?
Kansas Basketball learned a lot from this trip. Primarily, the Jayhawks found out how they can compete with good NBA players. Additionally, they found that their offense will be successful this season. Nevertheless, Kansas needs to improve their defense and this trip helped expose their weaknesses defensively. In the Big 12, Kansas must guard ball screens effectively. This trip gives them valuable film to do that. Kansas is not in trouble, so people should still have them as a contender.
