Bill Self didn’t sound like a coach trying to pump up a freshman after an exhibition. He sounded like a guy who knows he’s sitting on something special and still believes the best is ahead.
That’s where Tyran Stokes stands after three tune-ups in a Kansas uniform. The freshman forward keeps flashing the kind of all-around game that puts triple-double conversations on the table, and Sunday’s exhibition against Duke was the loudest statement yet. Against one of the country’s toughest defenses, the 6-foot-8, 230-pound projected No. 1 pick in the 2027 NBA Draft put up 27 points, eight rebounds and seven assists in a loss.
For KU, the number that jumps out is the assists just as much as the scoring. Stokes looked more comfortable reading the floor, punishing defenders who couldn’t match his size and length, and finding teammates once help came. The vision Kansas talked about before the season showed up in a real way against the Blue Devils.
“I learned a lot from the Louisville game, playing off two (feet) more, getting to the rim, definitely trying to play off two as much as I can,” Stokes said. “But it’s definitely going to be physical each and every night, so learning how to absorb the physicality and still finish through my shots, so I feel like I did a great job of that today.”
That physicality has already turned into free throws, and a lot of them. In three exhibitions, Stokes went 26-for-38 at the line.
Kansas as a team was 23-for-38 in those games, which tells you just how often the freshman was putting pressure on the rim and forcing whistles. He hit about 68% of those attempts, and Self made clear that area is only going to get more important.
“I think that he hadn’t made free throws at a great clip, because he’s going to get fouled - I think that’s been proven,” Self said. “He hasn’t shot the ball well as of yet. He hasn’t rebounded it as well as he’s capable of as of yet, like what’d he get, one offensive rebound today in 35 minutes or whatever?”
Stokes has also been inconsistent from deep so far. Despite a smooth-looking shot, he went 2-for-12 from beyond the arc across the three exhibitions. Self had already suggested in the offseason that if outside shooting were truly a weakness, Kansas would be in good shape anyway.
Rebounding is another piece still coming together. Stokes averaged seven boards in the exhibitions, but most came on the defensive end, according to Self. That development matters even more if Kansas keeps leaning on smaller lineups, including the stretches it used Saturday with Stokes at power forward.
Even with several options at point guard, the Jayhawks are going to put the ball in Stokes’ hands a lot. And the more he gets it, the more damage he can do as the season goes on.
“One thing about it, he can force help and he can get the ball to the open man about as well as anybody that I’ve seen at that age,” Self said.
Jon Scheyer saw plenty to like, too. The Duke coach pointed out Stokes’ ability to get downhill and draw contact, while also suggesting his game is far from finished.
“You’re not going to see many guys like him in college with his ability to push, put pressure in the paint. I mean, we fouled him nine times, but he gets a head of steam downhill.”
Stokes’ performance also pushes him into rare company in Kansas history. The program officially recognizes only seven triple-doubles, with Kevin McCullar Jr. owning two of them in consecutive games early in the 2023-24 season.
Jeff Withey had one in 2012, Cole Aldrich in 2009, and B.H. Born did it in the 1953 title game.
Wilt Chamberlain is credited with a couple unofficial instances in KU’s records, though blocks weren’t tracked in his era.
For now, Stokes doesn’t need a triple-double to prove anything. The point is that he already looks dangerous enough to flirt with one on any given night, and Kansas still thinks the ceiling is much higher.
The Jayhawks open the season Monday at 7 p.m. against Fordham.
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