Locked On Jayhawks - Daily Podcast On Kansas Jayhawks Football & Basketball - LEROY BLYDEN JR. IS A JAYHAWK | Massive Transfer Portal Addition for Bill Self & Kansas

Starting point is 00:00:00 It's the year of Leroy's for KU. Leroy Blighton joins the fold, and he is an awesome transfer portal edition for KU. 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?

Starting point is 00:00:26 Derek Johnson here with Lockdown Jhawks, and on today's episode, we're going to break down the commitment of Leroyd Blyden Jr., his potential role with KU, comps, some quick scouting reports, the importance of this edition for KU. Let's start right there. The news came out on Monday morning from Jonathan Gavoni of Draft Express,

Starting point is 00:00:43 seems to have the tie-in to the KU commits at this point. Also, a lot of morning commits coming out for KU. But this was the tweet from Jonathan Gavoni earlier today. News, Toledo transfer, Leroyd-Blyden Jr. has committed to Kansas, Brandon Greer and Rob Murphy of Equity Sports, told that Draft Express Mac freshman of the year, average 16 and a half points per game. And obviously, he's the second portal pickup of the year.

Starting point is 00:01:05 for KU. So this is huge, obviously, because, I mean, Kansas needs commits. They need players, but it's also huge because this is a really good basketball player. So I have my kind of portal doc where I'm kind of keeping track of guys that, you know, KU has interest in or just guys that I find interesting and just kind of, you know, putting them in different tiers. And I have my starter plus tier, guys that I think would come in and be not just a starter, but a, a, you know, potential game-changing starter, right? And then I have like my starter minus tier, which would be more of your like back-end starter guys.

Starting point is 00:01:43 I have my kind of fringe starter rotation tier, guys you would take if they'll be a backup, like the developmental tier, like some of these different tiers, right? I have a star all-American tier, but I don't know, I didn't have anybody for the point guard in that one, where they come in and they're going to be expected to be a, you know, all-American right off the bat. But of the starter plus tier,

Starting point is 00:02:03 I had, let's see, five, six, seven, nine guys in there. And of the nine, eight of them have committed to other schools. The only one that was remaining was Leroyd-Blyden Jr. I had Terrence Hill in there as well. He committed to Tennessee over the weekend. So yes, this becomes gigantic because this is my final guy in that area. Now, we still, you know, portals up until Tuesday. There could still be more entrance that that could potentially emerge into that. But this is due to, you know, average 16.4 points per game, four rebounds per game. Pretty good rebound numbers, albeit against, you know, smaller competition in the Mac, good assist numbers, four and a half assist per game on a really good

Starting point is 00:02:36 assist turnover ratio over two assists to turnovers per game. Had a really good steel rate, which was something that KU did not do a good enough job of a season ago. Really good three point percentage, really good free throw percentage. Like you're talking about a really good shooter. Some of the advanced metrics like Demi had over 20 PER, which is always good if you can get above that 20 plateau. Wins above replacement player was really good.

Starting point is 00:02:59 The on-off rating was excellent for him. the Evan Miyakawa rankings on him are really, really good. Like this is a guy who is a top 15 available transfer portal on Evan Miyakawa's site. So just a really good addition in general for KU at a position that you needed. You needed somebody to be able to come in next to Taylin Kinney, but also one that you were running out of some of the top options available, right? And like, we'll see what happens the rest of the portal. Obviously, Kansas still has a lot of scholarships that.

Starting point is 00:03:31 need to fill at this point. But right now, if you're just evaluating the pieces that are currently committed to the team or on the roster, right? So your incoming group of freshmen, you're incoming now two transfers with Keanu Dawes and Leroy Bliden and then returning players, of which is a scarce list. To me, Leroy Bliden would be the betting favorite to be your leader in points per game among that group of players, right? I think the guys you would have, I don't think anybody would be like an overwhelming favorite, but you'd probably have, I don't know, like Dawes and Blighton would probably be the, just on the favorite board right now, just the guys currently on the team, right? Then you probably have Kinney after that, and then maybe it'd be like

Starting point is 00:04:12 Rosario or something, but this is a guy who can really score the basketball. We'll see how it translates up and everything, but I think a lot to like. And so slowly, but surely things are coming together now for KU. You do feel like, okay, you know, now the ball, Ball's kind of rolling. You've got some more visits in early this week. Can you close some of those guys out and feel like you actually, you'll have a semblance of a roster and a starting line that you can go with? But let's get a little deeper, do a little bit more of a deep dive on Leroyd-Blyden Jr. Then we'll get to the projected role next. Today's episode is brought to you by Indeed. Workplace chaos, deadline stacking up, inbox overflowing, and the one position you have to fill is still sitting open. When the pressure's on and you need the right higher, this is a job for Indeed, sponsor. jobs, which helps you reach the people who actually fit where you're looking for with the right skills, experience, and location. So you're not just hoping the right candidate stumbles across your post. In the minute I've been talking to you, companies like yours made 27 hires on Indeed,

Starting point is 00:05:13 according to Indeed data worldwide. So if you're hiring, spend less time searching and more time interviewing candidates who check all your boxes with Indeed sponsor jobs. Spend less time searching and more time interviewing candidates who check all your boxes, less stress, less time, more results. When you need the right person to cut through the chaos, this is a job for Indeed, sponsor jobs. And listeners in the show get a $75 sponsor job credit to help get your job the premium status it deserves at Indeed.com slash podcast.

Starting point is 00:05:39 Just go to Indeed.com slash podcast now. Support us by saying you heard about it unlocked on Jayhawks. Indeed.com slash podcast. Terms and conditions apply. Need to hire. This is a job for Indeed, sponsored jobs. Thanks again for joining us here on the show. Don't forget we did a full deep dive episode on Leroyd-Blyden Jr. So you can find that

Starting point is 00:05:58 just from a couple days ago. And that really goes into a deep dive on some of the things of his game. So highly recommend checking that out. If you haven't already seen it, if you have, thank you for being every day. Or if you even want to watch it again, just to get a refresher course on what he's bringing to the table. We'll go over some of the stuff.

Starting point is 00:06:16 Maybe that one a little deeper, but here's a bit of a deep dive. What is the best skill for Leroyd-Blyden Jr.? I think it has to be the three-point shooting. You're talking about a 40% three-point shooter on good volume. He's got a very pure, quick, easy stroke that's repeatable. This dude is just, I mean, he shot 40% from three in high school to. He shot well on like on deep midrange and from the free throw line. All reasons to believe that the shooting is very real.

Starting point is 00:06:44 And this wasn't just like an aberration season. This dude is a knockdown three point shooter, right? I think my favorite stat and it relates to the three point shooting here for Leroyd Blighton, Blyden had more games where he made four or more threes in a game than he had games making zero threes. Think about that first. second, right? This is a freshman coming into college basketball. Consistency can be hard to come by. He made four or more threes in a game more than he made zero threes. So he was consistently getting on the board from three point range this season and giving you consistent perimeter shooting.

Starting point is 00:07:18 That is something that is so nice to have in your back pocket. My favorite advanced stat from Blyden, I would say is the on-off number. He was in 93rd percentile for on-off net rating. So basically what that means is that Toledo was 16.6 points better per 100 possessions when he was on the floor than when he was off, right? That is a huge chunk. You're talking almost 17 points better per 100 possessions when he was on the floor. So talk about having a huge impact on your team. The best game for Blyden, I think it'd be between two. He had 36 points against Western Michigan.

Starting point is 00:07:59 That was high in points. If you're looking for that, that would be the case. But I think you're making an argument for this one. His season high and assists was 13. That came against Buffalo, and he also added seven rebounds and 20 points on seven of 11 shooting. So I would almost argue that game from a complete factor, but 20 points, 13 assists and seven rebounds against the Bulls. I think the biggest question here for Blyden has to be, I mean, in general, it's the translation up, right? We've seen KU bring on other good players from mid-majors, and it just not totally worked out.

Starting point is 00:08:28 Now, we have seen it work out. like Zeke Mayo worked out. He was averaging like 15 points per game for Kansas. And that was a player who was coming up with, you know, elite shooting ability and could pass a little bit. And so I think that would be the hope here, right? With Timberlake and Dawson, guys that didn't translate up for KU, those are guys who were more of, you know, they weren't going to be ball handlers too. And they weren't going to do other things to if the shot wasn't falling, they weren't going to get on the floor.

Starting point is 00:08:58 With Blyden, you do have the passing element. You do have at least solid rebounding for kind of a point guard position. You do have a high steel rate there that you can rely on when the shot isn't falling. But again, I go back to the stat of how consistent he was with three-point shooting. That makes me feel like that'll be there a little bit more. So I do think it'll translate up. The question is, what are we talking to translate up to? Are we talking translating up into being a 12 point per game score or a guy who can get you like 15, 16 a night?

Starting point is 00:09:27 And the other question I always have with the translating up, especially as it pertains to a smaller guard here, is he shot, he was okay at the rim this season. He was solid, fine. But what happens when you're playing bigger, stronger opponents, is that something that can stay up for him, right? And then the other question is the defense. He does have a good steal rate.

Starting point is 00:09:47 So there's at least that. But, you know, what is he going to be overall as a defender against better competition? He is a little smaller, a little slighter frame. Well, teams take advantage of that. Can he at least be like an average? defender on that end of the floor. When you look at his best shot zone, it is wing threes. He shot basically

Starting point is 00:10:03 45% between the two wings from three point range. So those are kind of his hot zone and his go-to zone from three. His best play style, this is one where it's hard to pick ones. I'm just going to which honestly, this is a good thing because it shows how balanced he is offensively. That he's not

Starting point is 00:10:19 just a one-trick pony. He is between the 76th and 79th percentile in, you know, scoring efficiency, or I guess play efficiency, I should say, of all four of these different play styles. Transition game, mid-range, perimeter sniper, and attacking and kicking. And the last two I love because the perimeter sniper is a play where somebody else would be or is getting the assist. So that shows he can play off ball.

Starting point is 00:10:48 The attack and kick is him driving and kicking to somebody else, which shows he can play on ball, which is kind of the beauty of this. We'll get to the projected role and the fit and stuff. with Taylin Kinney, but that kind of shows you right there. Like, he can play on ball or off ball of Taylin Kinney if you need them to. Player comps. So CBB Analytics, you can compare just the statistic profile. It doesn't adjust for competition, right?

Starting point is 00:11:10 But you just look at the statistic profile and you can compare it to different conferences or the entire NCAA. I like to compare it to Big 12, just because you're maybe more familiar with the names. His Big 12 player comp on CBB analytics is Kingston Fleming's. That's obviously a very good comp there, right? Fleming's is going to go be a top 10 pick in the NBA draft now, right, and had a really good season at Houston. If I was giving a comp to this, just to give you a recent guy,

Starting point is 00:11:34 honestly, I see a little bit of L.J. Cryer here with a little more point guard skills, but it's less proven. And, you know, not to say he's going to be L.J. Cryer, because, again, Cryer was doing that against Power 5 competition when he was at Baylor and at Houston and stuff. But you're getting a Mac version of L.J. Cryer with a little more point guard skills, kind of a smaller guard who has more of a size of a point guard, but can really shoot the crap out of the basketball.

Starting point is 00:11:57 And, you know, obviously Cryer had a great career and is one that, you know, looking back, it would have been nice for KU to land him out of the transfer portal. If I am looking for KU specific comp, I don't say this one from a career arc or actual production, because again, I don't want to set the bar this high. Like, that's unfair. But just from a play style, how he plays. To me, it reminds me a little bit of Devante Graham, the ability to get off threes, off the dribble, off the catch, having.

Starting point is 00:12:24 really consistent three-point shot, be a kind of quicker guard who's a little undersized for a shooting guard, but, you know, has some, some sauce to him a little bit. Like, and I guess you could say like Devonte was technically a mid-major guard before he came to KU with where he committed. So again, like, I'm not saying I'm expecting him to do what Devante did in his career at Kansas, which eventually led to a first team All-American, but I think from a play style perspective, that would be the one. And I will say, the other thing here that I like about Blonde

Starting point is 00:12:54 he's only a sophomore. Obviously, you're basically building a roster every year to be a one-year roster because you don't know if guys you're going to leave or not. But that is in the back of my mind that like, okay, what if Blyden, you know, does stick around for three years at Kansas and ends up being like a really productive player for all three years? That could be certainly exciting. All right. What is the projected role for KU? We'll get to that next. What's going on and back with the projected role for Leroyd-Blyden Jr. So right now it's not a complete as we do these projected roles because we don't know what else KU is going to bring in at some of these positions. But right now, based on the knowledge we have, KU has Taylin Kenyon, Leroyd-Blyden,

Starting point is 00:13:33 those would be guys that I'd projected to be, you know, kind of starting in the back court next to each other. I mentioned earlier, Bliden can play on ball or off ball. He's also got the prerequisite athleticism that you need to where those two guys, I think, make a perfect pairing kind of starting next to each other, right? Then you're looking at adding a wing, you're starting four-man, Keanu Daws, and then, you know, whoever you're starting five minutes of being, I guess, right now would be Paul Mbia, right? And then you have Cole Rosario who, you know, compete for a starting spot or at least be in the rotation. You've got a bunch of the freshmen coming on with Luke Barnett, Trent Perry, Davion Adkins.

Starting point is 00:14:08 What will happen with the potential reclassification of Jvon Pardwell? Will it happen or will it not? Those are kind of questions that remain to be happening. But I think that is the expectation for me, right? The Blyden comes in and makes a big impact on this team. I think right now I'd have them as a starter. You know, what happens if KU brings in another guard? I think it's an open competition, I guess theoretically, between Blyden,

Starting point is 00:14:31 Colrosario and if they bring in another guard to say, hey, whichever one of you plays the best, you're going to start next to Talen Kinney. And then the other one, the second best will be our sixth man, right? And that's something that I think could happen to is that KU could have a pretty good guard as the sixth man. I think Kenny will start from the purposes of what that means recruiting wise and stuff. but will there be a point in the season where KU finishes a game with if they add another guard in Blyden, for instance, instead of Kenny being out there, it's entirely possible, right?

Starting point is 00:15:04 So I think I would just put it this way. Top six in the rotation for Blyden feels like for sure for me with my expectation that he would start and be one of KU's leading scores, be a really good three-point shooter. And I guess that kind of puts you in the conversation. if he one of the leading scores on Kansas puts you in the conversation at least to be like an all big 12 level player and I don't think that's that's unreasonable this is a guy who certainly I don't know like it was under recruited I guess you could say a little bit and blew up just as a freshman already like I think there's even more untapped potential there so I am a gigantic Leroyd and junior fan as you can tell and it's a good thing K you got him because there weren't a lot of other options if you didn't all right that'll do it for this. episode of Lockdown Jayhawks. We'll have another episode later talking about the impact this, what it means for the rest of the transfer portal and the roster and stuff and some of the latest portal updates coming out later as well. We'll have more deep dives. Check out the victorious Miller deep dive visiting today for KU. Maybe that could be the other guard. KU.

Starting point is 00:16:06 You could bring into the fold, right? And we'll get to all that and make sure to check it out right here on Locked on Jayhawks. See you next time.

Locked On Jayhawks - Daily Podcast On Kansas Jayhawks Football & Basketball - LEROY BLYDEN JR. IS A JAYHAWK | Massive Transfer Portal Addition for Bill Self & Kansas

There aren't comments yet for this episode. Click on any sentence in the transcript to leave a comment.