Will Bill Self *actually* play a 10-man rotation?
The preseason is here, and with it comes the annual slate of team previews. A few days ago, The Star’s Gary Bedore ran a particularly splashy headline: A rotation of 10 players? The idea is out there, and as ever, it inflames the imagination.
Here’s what Self had to say about it in Monday night’s call with the media:
“I think we could play 10. I do. I never have. You know nine is the most I’ve played.”
Lol @ Self for that “You know….” bit. He also added a little breakdown of what that could look like, just 4 fun:
“We could play five perimeter players. You kind of play three post men, then a fourth post man depending on injuries and foul problems. But I think we could play 10 this year; I really do.”
If the idea of a ten-man rotation had been thrown out before last season, no one would have cared, or it might have been cause for alarm. But after an offseason where Self did all in his power to restock the talent and experience levels of KU’s roster, a 10-man-rotation is a fever dream that, if you squint a little bit, might look kind of feasible.
When it comes to Self playing a big rotation, let’s just say I’ll believe it when I see it. For those who speak Self, you might read this as a statement about how the inevitable seven dudes in the rotation will have to beat out at least three other guys, a task made more difficult by the fact that Self sees players either as “perimeter” or “posts” these days.
But, for the sake of the exercise, let’s think about what that could look like. Five perimeter players, 3-4 post players, and that math would lead you to one floating guy. Let’s do this:
PLATOON 1
G Remy Martin
G Ochai Agbaji
G Christian Braun
C David McCormack
F Jalen Wilson
PLATOON 2
G Joseph Yesufu
G Dajuan Harris
C Mitch Lightfoot
G Jalen Coleman-Lands
F Cam Martin
I’m giving Martin and Coleman-Lands the rotation spots for now, because I think the freshman aren’t far enough along yet to consider them locks for a firm Self rotation: Zach Clemence and Kyle Cuffe are redshirt candidates, and guard Bobby Pettiford (who looks like a chip-on-the-shoulder Self guard if there ever was one) is rehabbing an injury.
Also: I’m putting Braun with the starters, though I think that Yesufu could very well be the third guard starter. Self will try to challenge Braun, I think, though I don’t know what that looks like right now. Braun and Yesufu are locks to be in the rotation, so whatever way it shakes out, they’ll both be playing plenty.
Last year’s group was so short on shooting that Coleman-Lands and Martin will definitely get first crack at it, thanks to their experience level. Coleman-Lands is a sixth-year senior, and Martin is another college graduate who shot the crap out of the ball in D-II. I’m working against my own skepticism here, but don’t count out KJ Adams, a long freshman that has “it,” I think, as long as I don’t have to specify a salient basketball skill that “it” is. ELEVEN MAN ROTATION j/k.
It looks good AND fun on paper, I just… I don’t know. Self is an optimizer, and we’ve become accustomed to that lazy eight minutes before the end of the first half when Self rests starters and burrows in on defense. The idea that that timeframe could be an additional boon for Kansas is tantalizing: you know that the Dajuan Harris hype train starts right here, but will Self actually give him the keys to the second unit, or use him as more of a role player? Yesufu and Martin give KU the off-the-bounce playmaking they haven’t had since Devon Dotson peaced for the NBA. Can they play together effectively, or will breaking them up maximize spacing for all these new shooters?
So far, I’ve talked about offense almost exclusively, which is not how Bill Self sees things so I might as well get to it: Defense. Is a ten-man rotation on defense anything close to realistic? While I don’t like to revisit it, mentally or emotionally, the press that Bill Self ran against Northern Iowa in 2010 during the final minutes was absolutely face-melting…. would the existence of a 10-man-rotation open the door on more full-court pressing?
Don’t get your hopes up. I’m liking the energy from the transfers, I just would find it hard to believe that they would sign up for vintage VCU-style hellball. I love the idea of it; how could you not? The balance between offense and defense in Self’s approach has evolved, especially in recent seasons, but don’t get it twisted: he’s still thinking about the defense first.
The reason that Kentucky’s famous platoon sticks in the mind was less about that the effectiveness of the arrangement—Calipari bailed on it as soon as conference season started, because even if you’re stacked, you still want your best five out there the majority of the time. The platoon system was expressive; it communicated that Kentucky was so deep that they couldn’t even really use it. Kentucky’s roster was a luxury good; invaluable to those who aren’t in the market for such a thing, but a golden dream to basketball sickos.
I’m not going to put KU’s talent level up there with that roster, because Joseph Yesufu is not exactly Devin Booker. But, I think the point being made my Self’s comments is clear: KU is deeper, better, older and more experienced, and three season’s worth of roster modifications happened in the blink of an eye. No matter how a rotation shakes out, KU is the early schedule’s most important team to watch.