Kansas Jayhawks Q&A: Caleb Love, Grant Nelson and KU basketball’s likely rotation

After decommitting from Michigan, reportedly for academic reasons, former North Carolina guard Caleb Love is one of the biggest names left in the transfer portal.

The Kansas Jayhawks have two open scholarships left… just don’t expect Love to take one of them. I wouldn’t be surprised if the St. Louis native eventually picks Missouri.

On Wednesday, KU picked up Santa Clara forward Parker Braun, the brother of former Kansas and current Denver Nuggets wing Christian Braun, to help shore up its big man depth.

Braun is the fourth transfer Kansas has added, joining Hunter Dickinson, Arterio Morris and Nick Timberlake. The two returnees from last season are Dajuan Harris and KJ Adams, then four incoming freshmen: Marcus Adams, Elmarko Jackson, Chris Johnson and Jamari McDowell.

Remember, the Jayhawks may be playing one scholarship down as part of self-imposed penalties in response to the NCAA inquiry into KU basketball. Currently, Kansas’ roster has ten players with two open scholarship spots.

Now, let’s take a look at where the roster stands.

• Guards: Harris, Jackson, Morris, McDowell, Johnson

• Wings: KJ Adams (wing/big), Marcus Adams, Timberlake

• Bigs: Dickinson, Braun

KU’s roster is a little short on big men, but Adams could see 10 minutes a game at center to back up Dickinson.

The real question mark on the roster is at the three/four positions. Marcus Adams could be good eventually, same as Johnson and McDowell, but it’s a lot to ask a freshman to play significant minutes and contribute in year one.

Look for KU to focus on finding a wing and potentially another big in the transfer portal.

All eyes should be on how Creighton forward Arthur Kaluma and North Dakota State forward Grant Nelson perform at the NBA Draft Combine.

Both players have Kansas on their respective lists of schools if they decide to drop out of the NBA Draft by the May 31 deadline.

As for big man, Adrame Diongue of Washington State was heavily recruited by KU in high school. The former top-100 recruit backed up an NBA prospect in Mouhamed Gueye, so Diongue didn’t see much playing time. He’s another name to keep an eye on.

If KU only chooses to use one scholarship, it’ll likely be on a forward rather than another big.

With that, it’s time for another Kansas Jayhawks Q&A. As always, thank you for all the questions!

Great question! Here’s how I project the top-seven players in the rotation with the current roster.

Guard minutes will go to Harris, Timberlake, Morris and Jackson. KJ Adams and Marcus Adams will play at the forward spots, and KJ Adams will back up Dickinson at the five.

A best guess at the starting lineup today: Harris, Jackson, Timberlake, KJ Adams and Dickinson.

Marcus Adams and Morris will likely play heavy minutes off the bench.

The biggest issue with Kansas’ current group and projected lineup would be with the third guard/wing spot. The Jayhawks would be playing undersized, so KU desperately needs to add another forward, or Marcus Adams needs to be ready to play big minutes early on.

I think Brooks will have a big impact this season. I expect him to win the starting job and he could help alleviate the hole Lonnie Phelps left behind.

He’s got tremendous upside — just being a top-100 recruit out of high school. Here’s what Clint Brewster, who evaluates prospects and transfer portal talent for 247Sports, told The Star.

“He’s got some burst off the ball. He’s got some hands. He can get around the edge; he can bull rush,” Brewster said. “His power and strength stand out for a guy that’s not huge.

“He doesn’t have really good size, but he has really good power, effort, motor and toughness. … He’s a guy that’s going to be a good college player and bring his toughness and motor every play.”

I think Brooks could be another transfer success story for KU, just like Phelps was.

I was told that they are progressing normally and doing well post-injuries. They will likely be ready to go by fall camp.

This is a tough one.

1. MJ Rice at NC State: Rice has always had talent. He was snakebitten by injuries, leading to little practice time, so he never looked ready on the court. I think being close to home will benefit him and a fresh start is something he needs.

2. Ernest Udeh at wherever he goes: I’ve been adamant about how talented he is and I believe talent will prevail in the case, whether it’s Duke or elsewhere.

3. Zach Clemence at UC Santa Barbara: His mom Dusti said it best: “They wanted a stretch-four. ... A guy that can shoot the ball and not just sit in the paint. It will be a good fit for him. ... He will be able to play his position and shoot the ball. Hopefully, bring in a ton of points. It’ll be a good place for him.”

4. Zuby Ejiofor at St. Johns: I love the fit with new head coach Rick Pitino. Ejiofor should play big minutes for the Johnnies next season. Ejiofor talked to Zach Braziller of the New York Post on why he picked St. Johns.

“(Pitino) was a big factor in terms of St. John’s being one of the schools I visited,” Ejiofor said. “I’ve seen the amount of high-level guys he’s trained over the years, the guys he’s taken to the pros.

“One of the things I like about him is he’s stayed in contact with a lot of them, not only on the court but off the court as well. I know he’s one of the greatest coaches out there. I wanted to have the opportunity to be coached by him and see how good I can possibly be.”

5. Kyle Cuffe at Syracuse: Sometimes, you just need a fresh start. Cuffe gets that with a brand-new coach in Adrian Autry and gets to play in a pretty good basketball conference with the ACC — and be closer to home.

6. Cam Martin at Boise State: I love this fit for Martin. I think he will be a huge contributor to Boise State because of his skill set.

“You can look at the post players at Boise State and they’ve had a lot of players that have been stretch 5s and capable of shooting the basketball,” Martin told B.J. Rains of Bronco Nation News. “You can’t say the same about Kansas. After watching some film of how I’ve played in the past and how Boise State has played in the past and how they want to use me, it looked like a no-brainer.”

7. Bobby Pettiford at East Carolina: I was surprised Pettiford ended up at a mid-major school, but this likely guaranteed him playing time and a chance to showcase himself.

East Carolina coach Michael Schwartz emphasized Pettiford’s explosiveness and ability to create offense for others, which tells me Pettiford’s skill set will likely be better utilized at ECU than at Kansas.

8. Joe Yesufu at Washington State: Yesufu needed an environment where he could take a lot of shots and not have the expectations a KU player gets because they play at Kansas. I think Washington State will help alleviate some of that pressure.

First of all, if UGA’s basketball team even makes the NCAA Tournament, I would probably faint. I have no idea how I would react if it were them in the national championship.

That being said, I’d cover it just like any other matchup, no matter the sport. Come on now, my journalistic integrity is on the line. Give me a little credit. Ha!