KJ Adams Jr.’s recognition as the Big 12’s most improved player highlights his rise at KU
LAWRENCE — Jalen Wilson knows the Big 12 Conference well, and his mind went straight to KJ Adams Jr.
Wilson, a redshirt junior forward, and Adams, a sophomore forward, are teammates on the Kansas basketball team. Wilson will have had as close a look as anyone at Adams’ rise in Adams’ second year playing for the Jayhawks. So, when Wilson praised the fact the Big 12’s head coaches chose Adams as the conference’s most improved player, his support of Adams is to be expected.
But Wilson didn’t just speak in generalities one could for anyone who took on a more significant role, as he also dove into the specifics of Adams’ play this season compared to last season. Adams went from mainly a spot-minute, defensive option off the bench last season to one of Kansas’ five starters this season, as the Jayhawks earned the Big 12 regular season championship outright. And in doing so, Wilson made a case for Adams that would be tough to argue against and also highlights how special Adams’ season has been to date.
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“The thing about KJ, even last year, he always gave us something when he went into the game, always, something positive energy-wise, and this year he’s had a chance to really show what he can do,” Kansas assistant coach Norm Roberts said on the “Hawk Talk with Bill Self” show on Monday. “… He’s not a 5-man, but he plays the 5 for us and he’s so good at it. And really, what he is, is he’s our second-best playmaker on our team.”
KJ Adams Jr. records impressive stats ahead of Big 12 Tournament
Ahead of the start of the Big 12 tournament this week, which will see Kansas (25-6, 13-5 in Big 12) play its first game Thursday in the quarterfinals, Adams has started all 31 games for the Jayhawks. He’s averaging 10.5 points and 4.5 rebounds per game, after averaging one point and 0.8 rebounds per game in 37 appearances — with one start — last season. Despite being undersized for his role, he’s never relinquished it as young bigs on the roster have battled for more significant roles themselves.
Kansas’ main two bigs last season were a 6-foot-10 and 250-pound David McCormack and a 6-foot-8 and 225-pound Mitch Lightfoot. Adams is listed at 6-foot-7 and 225 pounds, so he’s not as tall or heavier than either of them or the bigs on the Jayhawks’ roster. But head coach Bill Self and company have adjusted and the team, ranked No. 4 nationally in the latest coaches poll, has a chance to be the No. 1 overall seed in the upcoming NCAA tournament.
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Adams has scored in double figures 17 times, after never scoring more than six points in a game last season. He’s recored five or more rebounds 15 times, after never grabbing more than four rebounds in a game last season. And those are just a couple areas in which Adams has showcased his growth.
“I think everybody’s just grateful that I got this award,” Adams said. “Any award in the Big 12 is really amazing that it happened. It’s good to just tell my family that I won that. But now it’s on to the Big 12 tournament and, now, of course, March Madness. So, it’s good to flip the chapter and get ready for the bigger things.”
.@kj_atx grabs 𝗠𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝗜𝗺𝗽𝗿𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗱 Player and All-Big 12 Honorable Mention 🙌 pic.twitter.com/ol0Oc6Iic9
— Kansas Men’s Basketball (@KUHoops) March 5, 2023
Embodying last year's winning KU basketball team to get to the NCAA tournament
Adams is trying to embody the mindset last season’s Kansas team had, as it went on to win the Big 12 tournament and then the NCAA tournament. Those Jayhawks, he said, were able to be focused and have short memories in a way other teams didn’t. If he can do that again, he thinks he’ll be in good shape.
Adams being at his best helps Kansas be at its best. That much has been clear in recent months. It’s why he was named the Big 12’s most improved player, not to mention an All-Big 12 honorable mention, and is poised for even more success in the seasons to come.
“We’ve been all seeing it since the summer, what he brings to this team, and just the activity offensively and defensively he brings,” freshman guard Gradey Dick said about Adams. “There’s not one moment where he’s watching the ball or anything. He’s in the action.”
Jordan Guskey covers University of Kansas Athletics at The Topeka Capital-Journal. He is the National Sports Media Association’s sportswriter of the year for the state of Kansas for 2022. Contact him at jmguskey@gannett.com or on Twitter at @JordanGuskey.
This article originally appeared on Topeka Capital-Journal: KU basketball's KJ Adams Jr.’s Big 12 recognition highlights his rise
