With Bill Self running the show, the Kansas Basketball program is almost always one of the best teams in the nation. That is going to be the case again this year. The Jayhawks went to the NCAA Tournament as a #1 seed last season, but they shockingly lost to #8 seed Arkansas in the round of 32. Kansas had national championship aspirations, but they fell well short in the postseason, and they will be looking to go much deeper into the tournament this season.

The 2024 college basketball season is right around the corner as the season gets underway in early November. The preseason AP Poll was just released, and to no surprise, Kansas basketball came in at #1. The Jayhawks are going to be a force to be reckoned with once again, and a big reason for that is because of transfer big man Hunter Dickinson. Dickinson is coming to Lawrence from Michigan, and Bill Self is fired up about having him on the team.

“The best offensive big man I’ve ever had,” Bill Self said in regards to Dickinson, according to a tweet from Myron Medcalf.

Hunter Dickinson was a star at Michigan from the first time he stepped foot on the court. He was a true freshman in 2020 when the Wolverines won the Big Ten, and he was a crucial part of that team that made it to the Elite Eight in March.

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Last season, Dickinson averaged 18.5 PPG, 9.0 RPB, 1.5 APG and 1.8 BPG. He was one of the best players in the Big Ten, and that's why he was such a coveted prospect in the transfer portal.

Bill Self says that Dickinson is the best offensive big man he's had at Kansas, and that's not surprising to hear. He is 7'2″ and 260 pounds, so he can obviously score in the paint, but Dickinson's mid-range game and three point shot makes him a very unique big. That part of his game was non-existent during his freshman season, but he ended up shooting 32% from deep during his sophomore year, and brought that percentage up even higher as it was at 42% last year. He attempted 57 threes, too, so it's not like there wasn't a good sample size for that statistic.

Hunter Dickinson can truly do it all, and to be able to shoot the deep ball with that efficiency at his size is extremely impressive. He's going to be a major key to this Kansas basketball team this season, and the Jayhawks are going to be very good.