Kansas February Player of the Month: Dajuan Harris
The month of February was a very up and down one for the Kansas Jayhawks, going 4-3 over the course of the month. Almost every player on the roster had ups and downs with December POM Kevin McCullar missing a big chunk of the month, Hunter Dickinson, our November POM posting easily his worst games but also some of his most dominating performances, and the Kansas bench slowly emerging but returning to hibernation most evenings. Johnny Furphy has continued to be impactful since he took home our January prize, and KJ Adams brings energy wherever he goes. But one player has proved indispensable for the Jayhawks and that is Dajuan Harris.
It’s well noted how good of a record Kansas has when Harris scores in double figures, but he is so much more than that stat. A man who is often blamed for all the things he is not, maligned for his lack of scoring or his preference to pass rather than shoot, he is rarely praised for all the things that he is, the things he does so well. Today, we examine those qualities.
Because Kansas had such a subpar month, many players also suffered statistically. You’ll see that here with Dajuan as well because nothing really stands out, but his scoring numbers are actually slightly higher this month than his season averages. In February, Harris averaged 10.4 points, 5.3 assists per game while committing 1.7 turnovers per contest. On the season, he averages 8.4 points and 6.5 assists while committing 2.2 turnovers.
That assist number of 5.3 is lowered by a two assist game against Houston, a game Kansas won. The rest of the month, Dajuan had assist totals of eight, five, three, seven, and six twice. Two of the three losses that Kansas incurred this month were games that Harris scored in double figures (K-State and BYU) upping the total to three games that KU has lost when Harris scores in double figures.
Maybe the reason is due to the fact that KU has fewer actual scorers than they ever have and Harris, a natural distributor, has had to bear more of the scoring load of late. But Dajuan has been doing everything he physically can to keep Kansas in games and will them to wins.
For Kansas, Dajuan Harris is the glue. If Dajuan is struggling, isn’t focused for whatever reason, the Jayhawks rarely play well. But when he is on his game, Kansas is as tough to beat as anyone in the country. He recently went two straight games without committing a turnover.
Throw out the loss at Texas Tech and Kansas, despite all of its deficiencies, has been in every game that they’ve played. Much of this is due to Harris and his nearly 40 minutes per game that he is putting in for Kansas.
The man is a true point guard, and one of the best that Kansas has ever had, and the Jayhawks have had many throughout their storied history.
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