Jayhawks' KJ Adams Jr. Might be 2024 NBA Draft Sleeper
The 2024 NBA Draft has been widely discussed as a subpar class. In such situations, the focus turns to finding sleepers or diamonds in the rough. The sport of basketball is too global, too successful, and too talented for this class to be as bad as some make it out to be.
It is about finding the talent, like every year. While the 2024 NBA Draft will lack eye-popping star power at first glance, do not throw the baby out with the bath water. There are still many soon-to-be high-level NBA contributors in this class.
One sleeper might be right under our noses at a Blue Blood program like the University of Kansas. KJ Adams Jr. is not widely discussed in draft circles; in fact, he likely has not been discussed at all despite helping the Jayhawks win a National Championship as a Freshman in the 2021-22 season.
While age and shooting are the glaring red flags for Adams Jr., he still does enough to warrant some NBA Draft buzz.
For his career, Adams Jr. is averaging 7.4 points, three rebounds, 1.7 assists, and 1.1 stocks per game while shooting 63 percent from the floor and 60 percent at the charity stripe. He has not logged a career 3-pointer yet.
Adams Jr. has increased his averages this season to 12.7 points, 4.6 rebounds, 3.5 assists, and 1.9 stocks per game. He has been one of the best players for the Jayhawks this season despite some frustrating losses for KU along the way.
According to Synergy, Adams Jr. ranks in the 84th percentile in points per possession on all offensive possessions while dominating as a play finisher, cleaning up the glass on putbacks (95th percentile), scoring in the high-post 94th percentile), and his elite off-ball cutting ability (72nd percentile) using his athletic ability to speed run past guys and leap to the ring.
His fluid, calculated movements, bounce, and physicality allow him to shoot an impressive 70 percent at the rim, given his volume. He uses his body well to seal off defenders on the catch or initiate contact at the rim to bump an opponent off his spot and convert.
His soft hands allow him to smoothly corral passes from lead guards and quickly adjust to his next action. He can make up for some wild passes with his unique catch ability and strength to gather and bring the ball up through traffic.
Adams Jr.'s game can be elevated by playing alongside a better facilitator. While Dajuan Harris does an adequate job and has Bill Self's trust, he does not create openings for his pick-and-roll partners or have a high feel for the game. Harris, at times, lacks touch and anticipation when leading an offense, which hurts a player like Adams Jr. looking to play off a creator.
Despite being just 6-foot-7, 225 pounds, Adams Jr. has a special screening profile showing his ability to lay brick wall-level screens or slip his way to the open floor to provide the ball handler with a safety net to finish the play.
Defensively, Adams Jr., at his best, will fit perfectly into the modern NBA. His foot speed and technique allow him to project into a 1-5 switchable defender at the next level in certain matchups and someone who can not be totally exposed on an island while providing a physical body both on the glass and at the rim.
The Kansas forward lets up just 34 percent at the rim this season, providing a ton of resistance for the Jayhawks while also being able to fly out to the perimeter contest jumpers and force misses. Blend that with his above-average handles and high-level passing for his size, and he can be a transition nightmare at the next level.
The giant red flag for Adams is his 3-point shooting. To this point in his college career, he has yet to be able to knock down a single triple and doesn't convert his free throws at a high enough clip to give projectable hope.
His shot is funky and downright uncomfortable, bringing the ball to the top of his head and not launching a shot until he is on his way down after takeoff. At times, he might surprise himself with some of these makes in the mid-range.
The prospect of changing a youngster's shot is always dangerous, often doing more harm than good or reaching a point of no return. Still, for an organization that feels good about its on-staff shot doctor, Adams Jr. is certainly worth the flyer.
Each night, you can count on Adams Jr. to be engaged on the defensive end, setting the tone while limiting foul trouble, protecting the rim, creating chaos in the passing lanes, and covering up for others' mistakes.
On offense, using him as a play-finisher in the dunker spot or as a cutter/roller will be his best bet where he could produce at a high level. In the NBA playing a small ball five role, you could bank on his foot speed out of the post to potentially get past some of the more significant frontcourt matchups in the league.
Ultimately, no one is selecting Adams Jr. to be a starter or better player, but as a rotational piece to match a small ball lineup or bring some energy off the bench, he is worth looking into.
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