Does Kansas Basketball Have a 3-Point Shooting Problem Yet Again?

Last year, the Kansas basketball team had plenty of flaws, but one of the biggest was 3-point shooting.

The Jayhawks knocked down 253 shots from beyond the arc in 34 contests, ranking No. 183 in the country in makes. The only qualifying players to shoot over 34% from three were Zeke Mayo (42.2%) and David Coit (38.7%).

Aside from them, the Jayhawks struggled to find consistency from deep, and a similar issue could be on Bill Self's hands again this year.

In KU's Crimson and Blue scrimmage at Late Night in the Phog yesterday, the team shot just 2-for-15 from 3-point range. These scrimmages don't mean much, but they could serve as a reminder that the outside shooting problems haven't gone away.

The projected starting lineup only features two consistent long-range snipers in Darryn Peterson and whoever wins the final starting spot between Jayden Dawson and Kohl Rosario.

Center Flory Bidunga has never taken a 3-pointer at the college level, while Melvin Council Jr. (29.9%) and Trey White (32.9%) aren't exactly imposing threats on opposing defenses.

There is hope that Council can improve his shooting now that he won't be playing the exorbitant minutes he was at his previous stops at St. Bonaventure and Wagner. White is also capable of knocking down open shots, but he has only attempted 2.1 per game at the college level.

MORE: Why Melvin Council Jr.’s Shooting Should Improve at Kansas

Coming off a torn patellar tendon, Elmarko Jackson was once thought of as a potential outside threat, but he shot just 26.7% from deep as a freshman in 2023-24 on 1.3 attempts per game.

That means it'll truly be up to the trio of Peterson, Dawson, and Rosario to handle the bulk of KU's 3-point production. Still, someone else has to keep defenses honest from deep if this team is going to succeed.

Peterson will take most of the offensive load and find himself in isolation opportunities many times a game. However, given how spacing has been an issue for the past two Jayhawk squads, the offense will have to find a way to function with two or even three poor shooters on the floor at all times.

This Kansas team will definitely take more threes than last year, especially if Peterson can find open teammates when defenses double him. But unless someone else unexpectedly emerges as a knockdown shooter, the long-range concerns are going to persist throughout the year.