Kansas Basketball Needs Kohl Rosario to Produce More Immediately

During Darryn Peterson's absence, Kansas basketball has received some unexpected contributions from certain players to fill the void of his offensive production.

Jayhawks like Elmarko Jackson and Jamari McDowell have made big plays and received extended playing time as KU awaits the return of its star freshman.

However, one newcomer has struggled to fit in with the team during his first year of college ball. Freshman sharpshooter Kohl Rosario is in the midst of a rough stretch and has recently seen his role diminish in the rotation.

During Tuesday's loss to UConn, Rosario played a season-low five minutes. That came after a three-game stretch in the Players Era Festival in which he received fewer than 20 minutes played in each game.

Head coach Bill Silf has been justified in limiting Rosario's minutes, as his shooting struggles have become a serious issue despite being tabbed an elite 3-point shooter heading into college.

Rosario has now knocked down just nine of his 33 attempts from beyond the arc for a 27.3% 3-point percentage. He is perfect on all 11 of his 2-point attempts, most of which are dunks.

In that area, Rosario has excelled, even providing an extra boost on the offensive glass with putback attempts. However, Rosario reclassified and came to KU for his primary strength, which is outside shooting, and Kansas has unfortunately not unlocked that part of his game yet.

It isn't unusual for a freshman, let alone one who wasn't supposed to be playing college this year, to hit a stagnant stretch of growth as he adjusts to the college game. Rosario has certainly shown some positive signs and could end up playing a big role on this year's team.

But the reality is that he had a chance to set himself apart during Peterson's absence, and instead, he has potentially played his way out of the lineup. He was removed from the starting lineup in favor of McDowell three games ago and likely won't be entering it again anytime soon unless he gets hot.

Fans know that Rosario has a sky-high ceiling, with some scouts labeling him a one-and-done candidate before the campaign. This team cannot afford for a player with his potential to produce as little as he has in recent games.

Will Rosario Ever Break Out of His Shooting Slump?

The expectations for Rosario may have been too lofty going into the season. There was hope that he could transform into a sharpshooting 3-and-D wing from Day 1, yet that has not been the case.

If Rosario does not improve his 3-point percentage in the near future, his shooting struggles will not be viewed as a slump anymore but rather the norm. He has had some truly bad misses, including one that went off the side of the backboard in the Louisville scrimmage.

While fans chalked that up to freshman nerves at the time, he is more than one month into his KU tenure and hasn't shown any signs of improvement. His athleticism and grittiness are excellent traits to have, but it could come to a point where the coaching staff opts to play other rotational pieces over him entirely.