Big 12: Realistic Expectations For Kansas Freshman Devonte Graham

As we have come to expect over the years, Bill Self has sculpted a roster with comprised of a great blend of top-notch freshmen and essential NBA-bound veterans. Amidst this melting pot of dominant big men and some very appealing options on the perimeter stands 6’2”, 175-pound freshman point guard, Devonte Graham.

With the point guard position being the primary position surrounded with question marks for the Jayhawks, the athletic freshmen guard could find himself anywhere between learning as a third option off the bench to shouldering the bulk of the minutes by the time the season draws to a close.

Realistically, it should be the first option and Graham will have to take his minutes where they come, as he should sit behind Frank Mason and Connor Frankamp. Mason’s minutes and productivity practically doubled that of Frankamp last season, which should place the sophomore guard as the starter by default to kick the season off.

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But from there, it’s a complete toss up as to how many minutes Graham could compete with Frankamp for, which is a battle Graham could undoubtedly win.

As a freshman, Frankamp played only 8.3 minutes per game in the 27 games he made an appearance. With that time, he was only able to compile 2.5 points and 0.6 assists per contest, which aren’t the type of numbers that get you on the hardwood much in a Kansas program that has championship aspirations at the beginning of nearly every season.

Do I smell opportunity for Graham to steal minutes?

Graham has a play style that is built for making plays. He’s a crafty ball-handler with a knack for putting the ball almost anywhere he wants it and scoring in a multitude of ways from anywhere on the court. He has a great blend of knowing when to attack as a scorer and when to facilitate, which is something that’s only going to grow after a few months under the watchful eye of Self.

Point being, the skill to make an impact is definitely there, even as a freshman. But this isn’t going as far as to say Graham is ready to carry the Jayhawks to Indianapolis for the Final Four and play the key contributor role. Graham will be a guy that sticks around for a few years and ultimately becomes a star as an upperclassman.

As for this season; you can expect Graham to see his role evolve as the season carries on. Of course he isn’t going to have his court time handed to him on a silver platter and should see around 10 minutes per game at the beginning of the season against inferior talent. But when the grit and grind of conference play in the Big 12 kicks in, this is where Graham will either fold under the pressure as a freshman or step up to the plate and become a reliable point guard option off the bench.

My guess is that a player of Graham’s caliber will have no problem with proving his worth as the second option behind Mason. This is what can be expected for Graham as far as his freshman season is concerned, Unless Frankamp can make some dramatic strides from his freshman season, it won’t be much of an issue for the freshman point guard to surpass him in the rotation. From there, it’s all about experience and how Graham shows the world he can produce in certain situations as the season progresses.