Locked On Jayhawks - Daily Podcast On Kansas Jayhawks Football & Basketball - KANSAS PORTAL TARGET Deep Dive: Princeton Guard XAIVIAN LEE VISITS Bill Self and KU

Starting point is 00:00:00 Bill Self continuing to work in the shadows, a surprise visitor for Kansas this weekend. Xavian Lee, a transfer from Princeton. We deep dive into this transfer portal target for Kansas. You are Locked on Jayhawks, your daily podcast on the Kansas Jayhawks, part of the Locked On Podcast Network, your team every day. What's going on? Derek Johnson here. This is Locked On Jayhawks. Thanks for making it your first listen every day.

Starting point is 00:00:32 Thank you to the everydayers catching each and every episode of the show. And thank you for tuning in, whether you get us on our YouTube page or anywhere that you get your audio side of things on the podcast. And on today's edition of Locked On Jayhawks, we're going to be doing a transfer portal deep dive on a KU portal target that would be Xavier Lee, a point guard from Princeton, we'll get into a scouting report what his fit would possibly be with KU, as

Starting point is 00:00:56 well as some of the latest news around the transfer portal for Kansas before getting to any of that today's episode of the show is brought to you by Monarch money. Take control of your finances with Monarch money. Take control of your finances with Monarch Money. Use code LOCKEDONCOLLege at MonarchMoney.com for 50% off your first year. Let's get things started here with information on Xavier and Lee and a little bit on his scouting report. So Lee, who was somebody who just

Starting point is 00:01:20 visited Kansas over this past weekend, it was kind of out of the blue, it seemed like Florida versus St. John's race. I think he has more visits to come, but it just kind of came out of the blue that, oh, he's at Kansas, which is certainly interesting, too, because it sounds like they're going to be having visits from or if is it from Melvin Council?

Starting point is 00:01:37 And it's like, which of the guards do you pick? Well, let's get into that a little bit later. First, the rub on Lee, he is a combo guard, I guess I would call him. He was a point guard for Princeton. I call him a combo guard for the sake of, if he comes to Kansas, you're going to basically be a combo guard because you and Darren Peterson are both going to be, at different points of time, the guy who

Starting point is 00:02:00 can run the offense here or there. But he is 6' four, 180 pounds. So obviously, you know, good height there. He'll be a senior this next season, played three seasons at Princeton. He averaged almost 17 points per game this year, a little over six rebounds per game, five and a half assists,

Starting point is 00:02:16 so really good raw numbers there. 1.2 steals per game, 0.4 blocks per game, which is good for a point guard. So obviously able to use that six-four frame. He shot 44% from the field. He shot almost 37% from three-point range on over five attempts per game. So solid numbers there.

Starting point is 00:02:31 79% of the foul line, just under four attempts per game there. And then his effective field goal percentage and true shooting percentage, you know, closer to the average range. The team was about five and a half points better offensively when he was on the floor. They were about three points worse with him defensively when he was on the floor.

Starting point is 00:02:46 And Bartorvik really likes him. They gave him a transfer portal grade of a 4.0 here. He has another year last year as a sophomore where he put up very similar numbers in some areas better and other ways worse. But like this is back to back really good years of production for Xavian Li and enough so that he entered into the draft process to test last year. So we have actually some measurements on Xavian Li to kind of know, you know, what he's bringing to the table. And last year at the NBA draft combine, he measured six foot two and three quarters barefoot.

Starting point is 00:03:18 Now, again, the six four listing is him playing in shoes because you do play basketball in shoes. So the six four, I do believe when you say he's six, two and three quarters without shoes you do play basketball in shoes. So the 6'4", I do believe, when you say he's 6'2 3 quarters, without shoes, probably 6'4 with shoes. So that does add up. 8'3 standing reach, only 165 pounds. So he either put on weight or that number is being fibbed a little bit. Only a 6'4 1⁄4 wingspan, so he's not the lengthiest guy. 36 1⁄2 inch max vertical, So that's a solid number for him.

Starting point is 00:03:45 That was at the G-league combine. So he comes back this year, puts up a strong season and really finished the season strong. So he only scored two points in a loss to Yale on one of nine on the last day of January. Then he had 16 points, 11 and 11. But then from February 15th on, he goes 19 and six. He goes 25, six and six, then 24, eight and 11. But then from February 15th on, he goes 19 and six, he goes 25, six and six,

Starting point is 00:04:07 then 24, eight and three, 21, nine and five, this is points, rebounds and assists by the way, 14, three and five. And he has a triple double, 23, 10 and 12. And then in the conference tournament, he has 14, seven, six with two steals,

Starting point is 00:04:23 plays all 40 minutes against Yale and ends up being a two-point loss. So he finished the season very strong for Princeton. That's not the be-all end-all, but it's always better to see that way because then you can at least maybe in your head go, okay, maybe he's getting even better, right? Is his collegiate career gets closer to coming to a close.

Starting point is 00:04:40 How did he do against upper tier competition? Well, he's played 21 career games against Ken Palm Top 100 opponents. And in those 21 games, he has shot only 42% from three. That's not a very good number there. 37% from three point range. So you've seen the struggles from two against better competition.

Starting point is 00:04:59 That is a little bit of a concern there. When you look at this season though, they only played six games against Ken Palm Top 100 opponents, 35% from three, only 40% on two point shots. For his career, he's 50% on twos, but against the better teams, those numbers go severely down. So that is a little bit of a worry here

Starting point is 00:05:17 as we get into his strengths and weaknesses real quick before those. I do want to mention that his comp on CBB Analytics, like, it's actually a very interesting one, because it's not just his best comp for a big 12 player, it's his best comp for any player, happens to be a big 12 player, although, I guess now a free agent, and this one kind of blew my mind in a weird way. It's Darian Williams, the transfer from Texas Tech, who I dubbed as the number one available portal target for KU when I did that episode last week. And I'm very high on and I think we might do a deep dive later this week. But that is his number one comp there. So I don't know what that says. I don't know if that says more about Lee or says more

Starting point is 00:05:56 about Williams. I don't know. I just found that very interesting. But like, I want KU to go after Darian Williams. So I guess that's a good thing that that's the case. And obviously, Williams, you'll have that statistic profile versus Big 12 teams, and Lee did it against Ivy League teams. So, you know, one is different than the other. But I did find that interesting. I almost comp him a little bit in terms of.

Starting point is 00:06:16 I almost say like Zeke Mayo with less shooting and more passing. And that almost sounds stupid, because what is the best skill of Zeke Mayo, it is shooting. So if you're saying he is like this other player, and his best skill is unlike that thing, then maybe it's not very like him. But just in terms of being a bigger guard, who's maybe not the best athlete in the world, but and you maybe have some questions about the defense and the strength, how are those things going to hold up, but he's just a good kind of heady basketball

Starting point is 00:06:44 player that I think can add things to the team. That's where I think it's interesting there. So the strengths for Xavier and Lee, well, the passing. On the season, he had a 99th percentile assist percentage. He also had a 95th percentile assist to turnover rate. And when you watch some of the clips, he does an excellent job of throwing, it's anticipatory passes, I guess. Like he throws to where guys are going to be

Starting point is 00:07:09 as opposed to where they are. And I think you see this a lot on lobs. He's an excellent lob thrower because he throws them at times where it's like he's expecting the guy to be in a certain spot, and it doesn't look like they're going to be there, and then they do, and they throw it down.

Starting point is 00:07:23 And so I think about Flory Badunga as being a perfect recipient of that. And I go, OK, I can see some of the fit there. I found this excerpt from the athletic CJ Morris, and you do a great job kind of updating transfer portal rankings and having some of the top players available. They have a rank just outside the top 30, which among the guys who are actually uncommitted, I think it was like third or fourth among the best players,

Starting point is 00:07:46 third, fourth, fifth, somewhere in that range. But I found this excerpt, go read it there if you want to read the full scouting report. But I found this interesting in speaking about the passing. It says there might not be a better offhand passer in the country. He can throw lasers with his left hand. And I think you see that too, that he is, he's not, you know, he almost looks a little ambidextrous at times, like his ability to finish with his left hand too. And I think that's a good thing for him,

Starting point is 00:08:08 especially when you look at, you know, if you go up in level to the big 12, it's going to be longer teams, it's going to be more athletic teams. Are you going to have a good finishing package to be able to overcome that? So that's important. Also, he can score off the bounce 76th percentile

Starting point is 00:08:21 in off the dribble scoring 74th percentile as a ball screen handler, and then 74th percentile in off the dribble scoring, 74th percentile as a ball screen handler, and then 74th percentile in isolation. So like you've watched Kans the last few years, and one of the, I don't know, the qualms that maybe you've had is they need more guys who can be able to get their own shot. And Zeke Mayo has been able to do that. Now again, how does that translate up from the Ivy League to the Big 12? Here's a question, but he's at least shown his ability to do that. Now again, how does that translate up from the Ivy League to the Big 12 is a question, but he's at least shown his ability to do that. And Zeke Mayo was able to, you know, maybe not translate it as efficiently as he did at South Dakota State, but he still was able to translate it to some

Starting point is 00:08:53 degree, especially in the home games, when he went to Kansas. So I think that gives you hope with Savian Lee there. He does have good size for a point guard, like I mentioned, probably six, four in shoes. And I think it's safe to imagine based on both the level of play, when you look at the assist percentage, you look at the lack of turnovers, you look at the assist to turnover percentage, you look at the fact that this dude is at Princeton, a very smart school

Starting point is 00:09:16 in the Ivy League, I think it's probably safe to assume he is a smart basketball player. And I think when you see some of the passes, and the anticipatory passes that he has there and you know, you see this guy who he doesn't like foul a ton. He's 70th percentile in like foul efficiency. He's a smart basketball player and he's not one that is like taking dumb shots like he's taking good shots that he knows he can make make or that you know are in rhythm with the offense. I

Starting point is 00:09:42 think that those are all good things. Now as far as the questions, the athleticism is the big one here. He was below average in transition because of it. I think you also look at how does that athleticism or lack thereof or foot quickness, how does that affect him on the defensive end of the floor? How does that affect him in terms of physicality?

Starting point is 00:09:59 How does that affect him finishing at the rim? Two point shots. And you overall look at his two point numbers on the season. And this is a guy who is just in the 30th percentile for at the rim shooting this year. And so he hasn't been the best at the rim shooting. And we just went over the two point numbers that have been dropping when he's playing against top 100 opponents this season. So that is the biggest worry for me. But maybe because

Starting point is 00:10:25 if you have Flory Badunga and you have Darren Peterson, like maybe he becomes maybe his bigger role on the offensive end because like, I don't think people realize this with. Well, let's get into this on the fit because I do think there's an interesting thing with Devante Graham and Frank Mason where these are two guys who are basically point guards who are playing with each other next to each other. And was Avian Lee, that would be kind of the idea with Darren Peterson.

Starting point is 00:10:47 And I do think there is at least one interesting comp with Lee and Devante Graham. So we'll get to that in a moment. Here's not a comp though. Just 26th percentile in catch and shoot. That's not great. I will say to Lee's credit, he was 64th percentile in spot up though.

Starting point is 00:11:00 So he was better when he attacked the closeouts to drive, but what is his true level of shot making overall and shooting overall? He shot well from three 70th percentile above the break, 98th percentile, but it's point one attempt per game and corner threes on the season 78th percentile and they were in shooting. I think he's a good shooter, but the year before he was like 33 34%. You know, is he an average shooter? Is he a good shooter? Is he a great shooter? Took a lot of volume at Princeton? I don't know. And how can you play next to Darren Petersen? I have thoughts on that in a moment. Let's get to his player fit.

Starting point is 00:11:30 This is Locked on Jayhawks. Today's episode of the show is brought to you by Monarch Money. Ever check your bank account and wonder, where'd all my money go? Between dining out, online shopping and entertainment, it's easy to lose track. That's where Monarch Money comes in, your personal CFO giving you full visibility and control over your finances. Monarch Money isn't just a budgeting app. It's a complete financial command center. You can track all of your accounts, investments and spending in one place.

Starting point is 00:11:56 So you just stop managing your money and you start building wealth. They have their all-in-one convenience where instead of juggling multiple apps, you can use Monarch to check finances, track spending, and even use or plan long-term goals. Take control of your finances with Monarch money. Use code LOCKEDONCOLLege at MonarchMoney.com for 50% off your first year. That's MonarchMoney.com, code LOCKEDONCOLLege for half off your first year. I continue on on Locked-Jahawks. How exactly would Zavian Lee fit in with Kansas? I mentioned some of the struggles at the rim for Zavian Lee and how his numbers against better opponents went down pretty considerably on two-point shots. Maybe if you bring him into Kansas, you make him more of the, because he's a good passer. So in certain ways, he

Starting point is 00:12:47 would be on the ball and his ability to score in isolation and score in the mid range and stuff and score off step back threes that could still be used on the ball. But maybe he becomes more of a three point shooter than a rim threat. And because you have Darren Peterson, who's able to really score at all levels for Padunga, who's a rim threat as a, you know, dunk guy and out of lobs that would work well with this kid,

Starting point is 00:13:08 with Xavian Lee. And because you have Trey White, who's gonna be this slashing wing who should be able to get to the rim, maybe it's okay, especially when we've talked about a lot, like what is one of the bigger questions of this team? Do they have enough three-point shooting? If you make his role more of a three point shooter,

Starting point is 00:13:28 right? And so I go back to like De'Von De'Gram, because it's funny. You have all these times where it's like, oh man, I wish they had multiple ball handlers, multiple guys who could go get their bucket. And you see it in so many great Bills South teams, you know, Mario and Charon and Russell Robinson to, I don't know, I guess the newest age iteration was, well, I guess, Devon Dotson and Marcus Gare, but before that, Devontae and Frank, right? Like, and there's many other in between all of those. And that was never a problem, but now it's like, sometimes you'll see the occasional comment where it's like, oh, but if they bring on this guy, is that going to be able to work with Darren Peterson? It's like, it's

Starting point is 00:14:01 worked all those other years. Why would it not work with Darren Peterson? And so that would not give me any worry with with Xavier Lein. I think it'd be good, right? Because there is going to still be time. Darren Peterson goes to the bench. There is going to still be time. Darren Peterson is tired because he's been running around on the court. And it'd be good to give him a possession when he is on the court. He doesn't have to do literally everything for you, right? You need other guys to be able to do that. Now with Devonte Graham, where I keep going back to this with Frank Mason, you have Frank Mason, National Player of the Year, you have Devontae Graham next to him.

Starting point is 00:14:28 And Devontae, as it being an All-American his final year, but the final year he played with Frank Mason, he still had a really solid season, over 13 points, over four rebounds, shot 39% from three. I wonder if that's the role that he would play, where it's like, okay, Devontae's still getting four assists per game,

Starting point is 00:14:45 but he's not handling it as much as Frank, but he's still handling it a good amount. And so you look back to Devontae Graham, and I don't think Xavian Lee is as quick as Devontae Graham. I don't think he's as good of a three-point shooter. So I'm not saying this as a comp necessarily, but I am bringing it up from the two-point percentage. Devontae Graham, his final year at Kansas, I don't think people realize this because Devontae was

Starting point is 00:15:08 still a first team All-American. He had a great season. Devontae was awesome at KU. Devontae Graham only shot 39% on twos his senior season at Kansas. I don't know that many people realize that. Only 39% on two point shots. His junior year when he played with Frank, the two point shots were about cut in half in terms of the volume, but he shot 50% on those two point shots. So I basically bring that up because, you know, Devante was shooting more as a senior. You're the guy, you're having to take more contested twos. Whereas when he's with Frank, the twos he ends up taking are probably more of, okay, I got an open layup or I got a better one-on-one to my liking. And with Av Xavier Lee, you're playing at Princeton, you're the primary option. Okay, now it's a little different playing Darren Peterson where maybe you don't have to take as

Starting point is 00:15:51 many twos, right? Devante was still a good enough player. So I like the fit for Xavier Lee. I think it'd be a great lob threat with Floridia Budunga. He's a good passer, so you don't have to worry about is this guy going to, you know, is the ball going to stick in his hands and not get to the hands of Darren Peterson? I don't think you have to worry about that this guy gonna, you know, is the ball gonna stick in his hands and not get to the ends of Darren Peterson? I don't think you have to worry about that. And I keep going back to this. Smart basketball players figure it out. And so Xavien Li, who I went over that earlier,

Starting point is 00:16:16 I think it's probably safe to say he's a smart basketball player. I think he would probably figure out what his role would need to be, right? Sometimes you bring on guys,, is it going to work? It might work if this or that happens. If Bill Self can get him to do this, if Bill Self can get him to be better at X, then it'll be a fit.

Starting point is 00:16:39 Well, how often does that work? We just saw that with AJ Storr, Ryland Griffin. If Ryland Griffin could figure out how to defend, if AJ Storr could figure out how to play defense, didn't work out well, right? But with Xavier Lee, you have a kid here who it's like, oh, he was at Princeton, like he's trying to work to the next level.

Starting point is 00:16:56 He's trying to figure out how to be a better role player because that would be his role at the NBA. I think he'll figure it out, right? And there are some of those things that make you feel good about it. And yes, some of the fit questions I would have would be what would his athleticism be? How would it translate up?

Starting point is 00:17:11 How would he be attacked on the defensive end of the floor? But the idea that you have some good defenders around him, Floor Badunga, blocking shots, Trey White, Darren Peterson, just doing everything around you. The fact that you have those guys for insulation, I think helps there. And the fact that you just had a season where Zeke Mayo was one of your best players, and I think there, like I said, are some comps there, I think helps knowing what the fit could be. And so you look at the defensive end of the floor, you can work this a lot of ways too because of Darren Peterson, right?

Starting point is 00:17:43 Peterson gives you the ability, he's 6'5 with a 6'10 wingspan. If you want to put Peterson on the opposing point guard, you can probably do that. If you want to put Peterson on the opposing small forward, like their wing, you can do that too. And so you can almost mix and match, okay, you know, Xavier and Lee in this matchup, their point guard isn't the fastest guy in the world. We'll be fine putting you on him versus this team. They've got a quick point guard.

Starting point is 00:18:03 You know, maybe we'll put Jaden Dawson on him in this matchup or Marco Jackson on him in this matchup. And then we're going to put you on the two or we're going to put you on him versus this team. They've got a quick point guard. You know, maybe we'll put Jayden Dawson on him in this matchup or Marco Jackson on him in this matchup. And then we're going to put you on the two or we're going to put you on the three or we're going to try to hide you on this guy who just shoots like spot up threes. You know, so I think you're going to make it work. I do think it comes down to kind of a one on one. I don't know that you want Xavier and Lee and Melvin Council, right? If you're making me choose.

Starting point is 00:18:21 So the quick comparison there would be council gives you more athleticism. Council gives you more defects. Lee gives you more. And council was still a good passer and avoided turnovers too. But I think Lee is like another notch for the passing just a little bit there. Lee gives you better three point shooting.

Starting point is 00:18:39 Lee gives you more offense overall. Council better in transition. Lee not as much. So who do you go with there? I think that's a very interesting question for Bill South and staff, if both of them are interested. And obviously it doesn't always work this way. We saw it with Nick Kimberlake, North Carolina,

Starting point is 00:18:54 UConn wanted him and that didn't work out as well for KU. But even though it doesn't always work out in one situation, I think over time, typically, if like the fact that the other schools that seem to be in on him are St. John's with Rick Pitino and Florida who just won a national championship and has like nailed the transfer portal. Again, it doesn't always work out. There is the Nick Timberlake situation. But if I'm giving you 10 situations where you have 10 different players who's, you know, all the schools they're choosing from are Kansas and other good schools who operate

Starting point is 00:19:30 in the portal well. Yeah, you're going to end up with some of those situations that are Timberlake. You're going to end up with a lot of others over those situations that end up pretty good. So I do think that speaks well to Xavier Lee's game. All right. What's some of the other latest news for KU Basketball to Transfer to the World? And a little KU football news too, maybe on the offensive line. Today's episode of the show is brought to you by Supply House. Get the supplies you need from the site made for the skilled trades, Supply House. Whether you're in plumbing, HVAC, or electrical

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Starting point is 00:20:28 free shipping, and discounts on every order. Thousands of skilled professionals are already taking advantage. Now it's your turn. Join the Trade Master program today at supplyhouse.com slash tm and start ordering plumbing, HVAC, and electrical supplies with just a few clicks plus use promo code S H 5 for 5% off your first order that's supplyhouse.com promo code S H 5. Thanks for joining us on the show today. Don't forget check out Locked On College Football or Locked On College Basketball for your second listen every day. All right, some of the latest news. I've mentioned this on a previous episode and it just continues to happen. So I guess expect Xavier and Lee to commit like within the next like 24 or 48 hours. But I swear like every time we do one of these deep dives, it's like and the kid commits within like 24

Starting point is 00:21:19 to 48 hours. I'm sure there's a couple that that's not the case. But like it keeps happening. It just happened with a watsu. We did a deep dive on and he ends up going to Texas Tech. So, you know, he's gone out of the portal, thought he would have been a fun fit for KU along the wing and given him a post up opportunity and said, can't have to play against him. And I do find that in scene for tech because he becomes the Daring Williams replacement. It's also interesting from the Big 12 perspective, because

Starting point is 00:21:42 tech is going to be projected to be one of the best teams in the conference. JT Toppin returning the young freshman guard, I think Chance Williams or whatever coming back is expected to have a really good season. So Texas Tech is going to be one to beat in the Big 12 this year. Outside of that, Sean Phillips, who it seemed like a center from Arizona State, Kansas might've had a little bit of interest, might've had some conversation with to maybe come in and try to be the backup to Florida, but Dunga and he committed to Kansas rival with his, which is Missouri. So Kansas will see him this year, just as I guess they will see with Watts. And I believe this year the Missouri game is at the T-Mobile center.

Starting point is 00:22:16 So that'll be a different, I guess, environment, different challenge for that. There also is some KU football news to get to here. It is Appalachian state Markel Samuel. He has visits set up now upcoming for Oklahoma State, UCF, and Kansas. And the agency or whatever that he is repped by is apparently the like same agency as a couple recent, like DJ Graham, the transfer in from Utah State before that Oklahoma of Kansas players.

Starting point is 00:22:43 So I don't know if that helps you here. It I guess it depends how those guys feel about things. He was all Sunbelt Conference, honorable mention pick on the line. It sounds like some other schools are trying to line up visits as well, so we'll see what happens there. But this is a good reminder that the transfer

Starting point is 00:23:00 portal is opening back up, I believe for for college football on the 16th, something like that. And it closes on like the 25th, the spring portal, okay, you're gonna have some opportunities to bring guys in. They probably needed more line depth to begin with. Is this scary at all? Does it tell you that they don't feel great about some of the stuff? Or is it just they needed more line depth all along, and they weren't able to find one more, you know, in the

Starting point is 00:23:25 winter portal and they figured we'll just wait till the spring so that'll be something maybe we talk about a little bit more as that visit possibly gets closer and maybe some more KU football portal news to be on the lookout for as well. This isn't KU basketball portal time. It's now KU football portal time too. And we'll be talking all about it right here on Lockdown Jayhawks. Make sure you're subscribed to the show anywhere you get your podcast,

Starting point is 00:23:45 including on our YouTube page. See you next time for more Portal Talk right here on LOJ.

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Locked On Jayhawks - Daily Podcast On Kansas Jayhawks Football & Basketball - KANSAS PORTAL TARGET Deep Dive: Princeton Guard XAIVIAN LEE VISITS Bill Self and KU

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