KJ Lawson
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What’s up with KJ? Does he need a more structured offense to shine? I had hopes his transition would be a little smoother given his time at Memphis. He’s really looked out of sync and struggled to find his shot. I’m hopeful he can turn it around and become a key player at some point this season.
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He’s a 4 trying to play as a guard.
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He just looks so awkward out there. He has what I’ll refer to as “Carlton Bragg syndrome.” Those legs just don’t move fast enough to be able to guard anyone. He plays too vertical, and my assumption is just that he doesn’t have the leg strength to be able to bend at the knees and shuffle.
Unless he drastically improves by Tuesday, I hope he doesn’t see the floor.
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He doesn’t have to be effective until next year. He’ll learn…
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@Kcmatt7 Ouch. yeah he bends at the waist to get low instead of the knees. Not a good sign, but plenty of time to improve upon our first impression.
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KJ is a solid player. He just hasn’t found his role yet, and neither has his teammates found his role. It all has to come together.
I can easily see him be a guy that comes on big at the end of our season as he finds huge ways to contribute. He could become our “mystery man” player where our opponents won’t know how to scout him.
We are all going to need to show some patience with KJ, and if we do, we will be glad we didn’t trash talk him early on. He is really a player that may end up playing a big role when we need to find something else in a big game where we aren’t playing our best.
I know I have a lot of hope on KJ!
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@drgnslayr I can see him playing hard, like josh j. He’ll get better, find his mojo. So many options to figure out. Trying to think if he’s been in w/his brother? Wonder if they’re trying to play them together?
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@Kcmatt7 Or, in other words, he ain’t that athletic. Stiff. Looks like a guy that needs more time.
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HighEliteMajor said:
@Kcmatt7 Or, in other words, he ain’t that athletic. Stiff. Looks like a guy that needs more time.
He’s already 22 is the thing. I think if he is willing to play the 4 and bang in the paint, he can be a nice player at KU.
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@BShark Kevin Young.
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Unfortunately both Lawson are not very athletic but Dedric is considerably more skilled and his 3 point shot seems to be here now.
K.J. is still trying to find his place in the team and in many ways he is like a Swiss Army knife, average/good at a lot of thing but not very good at any one in particular, at least not yet. Hopefully he can focus on areas where he can contribute or fill a void and go with his actual rather than perceived strengths. He will come around and contribute before his time at KU is done.
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@BShark The age thing doesn’t concern me. Folks don’t peak at 22 (in BB at least). But feet don’t get magically get quicker, and legs don’t magically free up and change. Skill development is the hope here.
@KUSTEVE The KY comparison is as close as we might get, but KY seemed quicker laterally. Mario Little was my first thought.
Remember when AWIII left? One knock was his lateral quickness vs. Greene. AWIII is quicker side to side than KJ – at least it appears that way. Creating some skill that stands out is the challenge, because he is mile wide, and inch deep, as @JayHawkFanToo referenced.
I still like the guy and the way he looks on the court. Seems long. We’ll see.
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@HighEliteMajor My point was mainly that presumably he was coached before now. He could develop, but we would have to hope Bill Self is a much better coach than Tubby Smith. Which is definitely a possibility. His lack of speed concerns me as well, it’s why he isn’t a guard, imo.
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@HighEliteMajor He is a major work in progress, and his best might be pretty mediocre. He’s too slow to play the 3, and he’s too skinny to play down low. A little like Perry …a misfit toy. Stretch 4 in a 4 out attack. We’ve got a year to make him into a player. If he could work on his 3 point shot, then he’ll probably have a spot at the 4.
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KJ will be fine. Once he settles and gets used to playing again look out.
