Why Bill Self Belives Trey Kaufman-Renn Can Be Great at Kansas

The addition of Trey Kaufman-Renn feels like it might be the most impactful of the offseason for Kansas basketball. Although he's only been practicing with the team for under a month, TKR is quickly developing a rapport with the rest of the squad.

During KU's second game of the year against Middle Tennessee State, Kaufman-Renn moved to the starting lineup after coming off the bench in the season opener. In just 18 minutes played, the former Purdue standout was flat-out remarkable. He finished with a game-high 17 points on efficient 7-for-8 shooting, adding four rebounds and a pair of assists.

Head coach Bill Self has already talked about Kaufman-Renn's understanding of the scheme and how well he's acclimated to his new school. During his postgame press conference earlier this week, he echoed that belief.

"I do think he's a damn good player. He's like a point-five man, isn't he?" Self said. "He can pass; the game is in slow motion to him. A couple of those passes he made tonight, those are hard plays. And we don't know how to play with him yet."

While Self noted that Kaufman-Renn's conditioning isn't quite where the training staff wants it to be, he doesn't need to be in peak shape to show what he is capable of. The coaches have repeatedly said that he showed up to campus out of shape and would need some time to build up his endurance.

Kansas Jayhawks forward Trey Kaufman-Renn (9) warms up before taking on Fordham Rams inside Allen Fieldhouse in Lawrence, Kansas on Nov. 2, 2026 | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

The biggest takeaway here is that Self acknowledged that Kaufman-Renn's teammates don't even know how to take advantage of his skill set yet. That isn't particularly surprising, considering he was barely two weeks into his time at Kansas before partaking in game action. With that said, he knows a good portion of the playbook and defensive concepts.

One of Self's favorite things about TKR is how he can score in a multitude of ways. He can hurt opponents from anywhere, whether it be in the post or as an initiator.

"He scored tonight by backing a guy down. He didn't really score on the post," Self continued. "He's really good in the short roll. He's a really good passer out of the short roll. He's a good initiator. I don't think we got the full package tonight, but I think he's just an all-around good basketball player."

No matter how controversial the acquisition of Kaufman-Renn was, there's no question that the best version of this KU team features him on the floor. Once the rest of the lineup learns how to incorporate him into the offense properly, the Jayhawks are going to be a force to be reckoned with.

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