Mar 13, 2025; Kansas City, MO, USA; Kansas Jayhawks coach Bill Self reacts to game play during the second half against the Arizona Wildcats at T-Mobile Center. Mandatory Credit: William Purnell-Imagn Images William Purnell-Imagn Images

One Kansas Basketball Newcomer That Hasn't Been Encouraging So Far

Originally posted on Kansas Jayhawks on SI
By Joshua Schulman | Last updated Nov 2, 2025 7:04 AM ET

The Kansas basketball program made three additions from the transfer portal this offseason in what was a complete retooling of the Jayhawks' roster by Bill Self.

The Hall of Fame coach knew he had to shake things up after back-to-back down years in Lawrence and brought in several veteran newcomers like Melvin Council Jr., Tre White, and Jayden Dawson.

Of those three, Council and White have quickly found their niches with the Jayhawks in the starting lineup, but the same cannot be said for Dawson. In KU's two exhibition contests against Louisville and Fort Hays State, he combined to play just 20 minutes total, making 1-of-2 field goal attempts for two points and turning the ball over twice.

The 6-foot-4 sharpshooter was expected to play a key role for the squad this season, so it was certainly surprising to see him ceding minutes to players who weren't as highly regarded, such as Jamari McDowell, during the scrimmages.

Kansas Needs Jayden Dawson’s 3-Point Shooting

When Dawson was recruited, his best trait was his 3-point shooting. He shot 36.3% from beyond the arc at Loyola Chicago last year on 7.4 attempts per game.

For a Kansas team that severely lacks perimeter threats, Dawson can bring a lot to the table, especially when Darryn Peterson is running the offense and needs shooters to kick it out to.

But if Dawson can't also contribute defensively and off the ball, his shooting ability will be in vain. He is not going to see significant playing time if he doesn't defend at a high level.

There is also a factor that could be contributing to his limited minutes, which is a lingering knee injury that slowed his progress in the offseason. Coach Self told the media after the Louisville exhibition that Dawson was good to go and almost fully healed, but it is clear that he has fallen behind schedule with the season opener just a few days away.

"[Dawson] is healthy, so that didn't have much to do with him not playing a lot," Self said last week. "But him being hurt probably put him behind where he probably wasn't as ready to play the other day. It was nothing negative that he's done or anything, but his health is fine. So I anticipate him definitely being able to be out there a lot more because he'll be more in the groove."

Freshman guard Kohl Rosario has already beaten him out for the final starting spot, a position Dawson was expected to compete for throughout the offseason.

Additionally, there were concerns among the Jayhawk fanbase about whether Dawson would be able to contribute beyond his outside shooting when he first committed due to the fact that he previously played at a mid-major school.

There have certainly been cases of similar player archetypes who have panned out, but he is on a very similar path to former KU guard Nicolas Timberlake, whose limited skill set ultimately defined his tenure in Lawrence.

Dawson is absolutely talented enough to play meaningful minutes in the backcourt this season. However, he is currently ranked below several players on the depth chart, meaning he will need to make the most of his playing time when he is on the court.

This article first appeared on Kansas Jayhawks on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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