The Kansas basketball program is showing some love to one of their own. The Jayhawks are excited for Johnny Furphy after his NBA Summer League debut. Furphy finished with 12 points and four rebounds in his premiere.
Furphy played for Kansas basketball for one season, in 2023-24. He is now playing with the Indiana Pacers, after being selected 35th overall in the 2024 NBA Draft.
The forward made 3 three-pointers in his Summer League debut for the Pacers. Indiana lost a close game to the Brooklyn Nets in overtime, 96-95. Furphy made 36 percent of his shots, going 4-for-11 from the field in the contest. His stat line also included a steal and one turnover.
While at Kansas, Furphy was a three-point specialist who also did a terrific job of running the floor in transition. He averaged 9 points a game for the Jayhawks to go with just under five rebounds. Kansas lost in the NCAA tournament's Round of 32 during Furphy's time in Lawrence.
Kansas Basketball's 2024 season outlook
Kansas basketball is hoping for a big year in 2024-25. The team has one of the most dominant front courts in the country, with Hunter Dickinson returning. The Jayhawks will pair Dickinson with freshman big man Flory Bidunga, who is a rebounding machine. Kansas should be extremely competitive in the Big 12 Conference with those two guys rebounding nearly every miss.
Kansas coach Bill Self expressed his fears about the new Big 12. The league is adding four new schools in Arizona, Arizona State, Colorado and Utah. Texas and Oklahoma left for the SEC, so the new-look Big 12 boasts 16 formidable teams. This league will be as deep as any in the country.
The league schedule is also going to be more difficult than the past. The conference is moving to 20 league games, instead of 18. Self says that's a scary scenario, as every team is going to have to face even more quality competition. The Jayhawks are also playing a tough non conference slate, with teams like Duke and North Carolina on the schedule. The team must also travel to Creighton to play in the Big 12-Big East Battle in December.
The Jayhawks are looking to avenge one of the most disappointing seasons in recent memory. The team lost the most amount of conference games the program has seen since the 1980s. Injuries riddled the team, as Dickinson and leading scorer Kevin McCullar Jr. missed significant amounts of time.
Although Furphy is no longer with the team, Kansas does have some strong transfer portal additions. The team grabbed guards Noah Shelby and AJ Storr, both four star players. The Jayhawks also have wing Rylan Griffen from Alabama, who is expected to immediately compete for a starting spot. Griffen is a former Top 100 player who is an excellent perimeter shooter.
Kansas basketball fans are definitely watching to see how well Furphy progresses in the Summer League. The Jayhawks will miss him this season, but there's a lot of talent walking in to replace him.
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