hard to imagine him showing more in a return to Kansas
The announcement that Lagerald Vick had pulled his name out of the NBA Draft was both a surprise and something that made complete sense.
There had been a relatively low level of NBA Draft buzz around Vick, who had a disappointing second half to his https://www.kansasjayhawksshop.com/lagerald-vick-jersey-c-2.html season after being one of KU’s best players in non conference action. Vick’s name had not appeared on any recent credible mock drafts. He was not invited to the NBA Draft combine, though he did attend the Professional Basketball Combine in Florida.
Yet when Vick initially declared for the draft, the finality of the quotes in the KU release told a different story.
“I believe the time is right for him to move on, explore his options as a professional and see what develops,” said KU coach Bill Self. “We won a lot of games with Lagerald over the last three years and appreciate everything he s done for Kansas and our basketball program.”
I have nothing but great memories and times with the Jayhawk family — my coaches, my teammates and the fans https://www.kansasjayhawksshop.com/devonte-graham-jersey-c-4.html, Vick said in the same release. I will never forget the accomplishments and how you all have supported me. It is now time for me to move on to the next chapter of my life. I am declaring for the 2018 NBA Draft and do not plan to hire an agent at this moment.
While Vick noted he wasn’t hiring an agent — as recently as early May, his mother confirmed he still hadn’t hired one — he was still seen as having left the university. Now, with an apparent conversation between Vick and Self coming soon Josh Jackson Jersey, according to the Lawrence Journal World’s Matt Tait, it’s at least worth considering what the KU men’s basketball team would be getting if Vick were to play out his senior year.
Why he fits
Three point shooting is as much of a question as any on the upcoming KU team. While the Jayhawks will have players capable of shooting 35 ish percent from distance, they likely won’t have a plethora of 40 plus 3 point percentage shooters like they have in years past.
Vick, for the record, hasn’t been a 40 percent 3 point shooter since he averaged less than one attempt per game as a freshman. However, his 37.3 3 point percentage last year would be the highest mark of any upcoming KU player. Plus, it’s reasonable to expect Vick would continue to improve as a shooter, especially given the work the team does on 3s in the offseason.
Furthermore, even though he wasn’t much of a vocal leader, Vick would be a senior presence on a team without any others. He knows the offense and the plays and at least knows what Self would want out of him for a senior season.
The 2018 19 KU men’s basketball team is already loaded with depth. At this point, adding Vick would feel more like a bonus rather than a move that would bolster the team, but it still probably wouldn’t hurt to have him on the court. Certainly the opportunity is greater there than it would be at either the point guard or big man positions.
Why he doesn’t
Vick won’t be in a situation where he has a bigger role on this year’s team than last.
Last season, the Jayhawks used three wings — Vick https://www.kansasjayhawksshop.com/sam-cunliffe-jersey-c-3.html, Svi Mykhailiuk and Marcus Garrett — and all three likely maximized what their role could have been. Mykhailiuk played 34.5 minutes per game, Vick played 33.1 and a freshman Garrett played 19.2. All five KU starters averaged double figures in scoring. No one else on the team came close to hitting that mark.
Point being, even if Vick were to receive a similar number of minutes and bump Garrett and K.J. Lawson down in the rotation, it’s unlikely his scoring punch will be needed anywhere near as much. Vick also wouldn’t be asked to rebound as much, either, with multiple big men in the game, and he wouldn’t be asked to create offense with KU having two legitimate point guards and a combo guard in Quentin Grimes that can also handle the ball.
It’s hard to imagine him showing more in a return to Kansas, though a consistent season might help those at the next level feel more comfortable giving him a shot. It s also possible he could go the transfer route, though it s hard to imagine Vick sitting out a year just to play one more — assuming he would not be eligible as a graduate transfer.
A precedent
One option for Vick remains going through the NBA G League. If that were to be his destination of choice, the move wouldn’t be without precedent.
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North Carolina’s P.J. Hairston played two seasons at UNC and even led the team in scoring as a sophomore before he dealt with eligibility issues and left the university. Hairston opted to play in what was then the D League. Despite dealing with off court issues, he was selected in the following year’s NBA Draft by the Charlotte Hornets.
Vick’s mother reportedly told the Kansas City Star that Vick was looking into the G League and a return to college as potential routes, since he would like to raise his daughter in the United States. Regardless, Vick seems to be taking the chance that his stock will improve of the next season. It ll be interesting to see just how that pays off.
