Kansas basketball Q&A: On Johnny Furphy’s NBA Draft decision and KJ Adams’ roster fit

Kansas freshman Johnny Furphy has an important choice in the coming days. He must first decide whether to declare for the NBA Draft — and then whether he’ll stay in the event or return to KU.

The Star asked Furphy about the upcoming decision shortly after KU’s season-ending loss to Gonzaga. Furphy echoed a message he told The Star during the season.

“I haven’t given it any thought,” Furphy said.

If he does decide to return, Furphy will focus on improving his game, acknoweldging he’s “got a lot to improve upon.”

What will he remember about his freshman season with the Jayhawks?

“It was a roller coaster — I enjoyed it a lot, and it went by really quickly,” he said. “I love my teammates. I’m so proud of everyone.”

Furphy had a red-hot start when entering the starting lineup but struggled in March. He finished the season averaging 9.0 points and 4.8 rebounds per game. After being mocked as a lottery pick at one point, he’s now dropped to the late-first-round range in most mock drafts.

One NBA Draft evaluator told The Star that he remains rather indifferent about Furphy — citing that there isn’t necessarily a wrong decision for him.

It’s a weak draft class, so him leaving would make sense. It could be his best chance to go in the first round. That said, one evaluator believed a year with Kansas could also help Furphy’s development and move him up draft boards — if all goes well.

I wouldn’t be surprised if Furphy declares for the draft to receive feedback from NBA teams before ultimately returning, similar to Kevin McCullar last season. But there’s plenty of time for that to be sorted out.

With that, let’s get to another Kansas Jayhawks Q&A!

In talking about next year’s hoops roster, nobody ever mentions Zach Clemence. You’d think he’s progressed a lot to be solid contributor, but will he even be back? Experience is important and he’s got it. — @jfos4

When The Star asked Clemence about his future, he said he would most likely return — and that his role would be whatever Self envisions.

He added that feedback from the coaching staff has “been good and that everyone’s super supportive. They let you know when you get better.”

During the season, Self alluded to improvement made by Clemence during his Hawk Talk radio shows, and a program source echoed that Clemence has impressed at practice and held his own.

But two things: For starters, players who improve can still depart a team — even if they initially say they’ll be back. And, second, the sample here is practice. We’ll have to see if it carries over to the games.

There’s also a question about what Clemence’s role would be if he returned. The Kansas frontcourt is set to be crowded — particularly if Hunter Dickinson and KJ Adams return. Five-star freshman Flory Bidunga is also joining the team.

I anticipate Clemence’s decision will hinge on meetings with KU’s coaching staff in the coming days and his true willingness (or not) to accept a smaller role, if that’s what the coaches envision next year.

What’s the most important offseason question that Self needs to answer and why is it what the (heck) do we do with KJ? — @dangelo_vickers

I don’t know if it’s a hot take, but I don’t think Adams is the problem. Yes, he’s a bit of a wonky fit with Dickinson and Dajuan Harris due to spacing. Plus, his rebounding needs to improve and his shooting is a work in progress.

That said, he still averaged personal bests with 12.7 points, 4.5 rebounds and 3.2 assists per game last year. He also helped cover up Dickinson’s defensive deficiencies quite a bit. Despite the spacing issues, KU’s starting lineup still had a great net rating last season.

The solution with Adams is twofold. First, he needs to play more backup minutes at the five-spot — he helped lead KU to a No. 1 seed while playing center. Second, the Jayhawks need to add a sharpshooter from the transfer portal to slot into McCullar’s spot. If Furphy returns, that new addition could give KU real firepower alongside the frontcourt of Adams and Dickinson.

A player like Wichita State’s Colby Rogers or South Dakota State’s (and Lawrence native) Zeke Mayo — both players KU has reportedly reached out to — would help lessen KU’s spacing issues and make it easier to craft lineups around Harris, Adams and Dickinson.

Letting Adams leave via the transfer portal would be a massive mistake for the Jayhawks, as he does many little things that don’t appear on the stat sheet. There’s a reason Dickinson called Adams one of the most underrated players in the country on Instagram in February; he’s the glue on this Jayhawks team.

My understanding is that Furphy can’t receive any NIL $$ since he’s a foreign player. Are schools finding a way around that, because I’d think that could be a factor in keeping him next year, no? — @jfos4

Schools are finding a way around that. A source confirmed that Furphy still receives NIL; he just can’t receive it in the United States. So the way around it is events on international soil or times when Furphy is back home.

I think it’s certainly a factor, but NIL money doesn’t compare to the money received by making the NBA Draft.

Do you see Self making any changes to his coaching staff? — @JaimeV1432

I’d be surprised if he did. Last season, the Jayhawks added Doc Sadler back to the staff.

The rest of KU’s staff has been here for quite a while — even the youngest coach, Jeremy Case, joined the staff back in 2016, and he, of course, was a player under Self before that.

Joe Dooley, who also recently rejoined the program, was previously part of the Self/KU staff.