Fans were surprised when Hunter Dickinson decided to transfer to the Kansas Jayhawks before the 2023-24 season. Dickinson had spent three years in maize and blue and was also eligible for the NBA draft. While transferring he did admit that he “did have a legacy there and I basically gave that up.” Therefore, when he started his first season with Bill Self last year, the Jayhawks were considered to be prime contenders to the NCAA title. However, an early exit from the NCAA tournament washed over their hopes. And Dickinson cannot help but point out a major issue with the team.

In an ESPN interview on Friday, Dickinson he talked about the previous season and the changes in this year’s team. However, he couldn’t seem to take off last year’s woes from his mind.

“I actually thought last year we played to that ranking early in the season,” he said. “But when it counted the most, we didn’t sniff playing to that ranking. There were reasons why, but you can’t make excuses… If a pro goes down, if the wrong guy goes down, it’s going to hurt your team regardless. But we didn’t have a way to combat that with depth,” Dickinson enunciated.

The Jayhawks were ranked at the top spot in the preseason and till February, they occupied the fourth spot. However, an unexpected injury.  forced their star Kevin McCullar Jr. out of the tournament. He missed 6 of the final 12 games of the regular season tournament, including the matchup against Houston in which the Self-coached team lost by a humiliating 76-46.

McCullar Jr. was one of the main offensive stars for the team and averaged 18.3 points with 5.4 rebounds per game. After his exit from the team, the Jayhawks coudn’t cope up with the loss and lacked the depth with K. J. Adams Jr. trying to take over his role. Unfortunately, that did not do much wonders as the team was eliminated from Round 2 of the NCAA tournament.

Kansas Jayhawks faced a big setback last season

As mentioned when McCullar Jr. was down from a knee injury, Adams Jr. replaced him. Meanwhile, Dickinson too, during the only conference game, couldn’t ply his trade due to a dislocated shoulder. While Adams Jr. tried his best to balance scoreboard by hitting 22 points, the Jayhawks couldn’t be saved from a loss as they were ended the run due to a trail of 72-52 margin. However, once they got a call from the NCAA tourney, the hopes once again surged.

During the Round 1 game against Samford, both Adam Jr. and Dickinson performed to their level, hitting 20 points and 20 rebounds respectively, bringing a 93-89 win. However, the next game against exposed their lack of depth. Dickinson, the highest scorer for the team that day, could only post 15 points as the Jayhawks faced an early exit from Round 2, losing with a 89-69 margin.

But this season around, the Jayhawks have recruited 6 new guards. Perhaps that will balance any major injuries that come during the mid of the season. And hopefully, Dickinson will be able to cruise to his maiden NCAA title.