Why Melvin Council Jr.’s Shooting Matters More Than Ever for Kansas

The Kansas basketball team has needed to find alternative ways to produce offense during Darryn Peterson's absence. The Jayhawks have solid complementary players who are fine as second or third options, but no one else appeared capable of taking games over single-handedly — or at least we thought.

Point guard Melvin Council Jr. has been on an absolute tear over his past two games, starting with a 36-point explosion in an overtime win at NC State and following that up with 15 points earlier this week against Towson.

More importantly, Council has made unbelievable strides as a 3-point shooter. After knocking down just five of his first 27 threes as a Jayhawk, Council has now connected on 12 of 21 over the past two games.

His 3-point percentage has risen from 18.5% to 35.4%, an unprecedented leap. In addition to everything he brings with his defensive intensity and as a playmaker, Council might end up being the most important player for the Jayhawks this season if he continues to knock down shots from beyond the arc.

Kansas Needs Melvin Council Jr. to Keep Shooting

At the beginning of the year when his threes weren't falling, many fans pinned KU's offensive struggles on Council. As he noted on the Field of 68 podcast, he has never been a great 3-point shooter at any level of basketball. He said his previous career high for made threes before the NC State game was four, and that's counting middle school and high school.

But now that the Jayhawks know he has the ability to put on showings like the one in Raleigh, head coach Bill Self is going to rely on him even more for offensive production.

As a driver, Council was already extremely effective. He gets downhill with ease using his long frame and has made some tough finishes around the rim this season. Council also leads the team in assists at 4.8 per game and remained the primary ball handler even in the games Peterson returned for.

Now, his 3-point shooting has been unlocked, a trait nobody expected going into the season. Those threes can no longer be considered low-percentage shots, given what we now know he is capable of.

Why Council's Shooting Matters — Especially if Peterson Remains Out

Kansas direly needs offensive production when Peterson is unavailable. Right now, the Jayhawks rank No. 58 nationally in offensive efficiency per KenPom, a number that simply won't be good enough to get over the hump in March.

While the offense must be resolved eventually, Peterson could be out for the foreseeable future, meaning inconsistency will remain an issue. That is exactly why KU needs Council to keep shooting and hitting threes.

It has given the Jayhawks an unexpected scoring option and completely changed how opposing teams guard him. Prior to the NC State game, most teams were leaving him open from deep and daring him to shoot.

Wolfpack head coach Will Wade even admitted that was part of his game plan, but once Council found a rhythm, there was no slowing him down.

All Council needs is to hit one or two long balls for his confidence to grow. Once that happens, the Jayhawks can become a very dangerous team on both ends of the floor, especially when Peterson returns and is hopefully 100% healthy.