Kansas basketball’s frontcourt picture is still cloudy, but Bill Self may have tipped his hand about who’s in line to anchor the middle.
With August just getting underway, the Jayhawks are still waiting on an eligibility decision for Serbian center Mihailo Mušikić and don’t have a firm timeline for Christian Reeves’ return from labrum surgery. That leaves a real opening for someone to grab hold of the starting center job, and Self made it clear Thursday that Paul Mbiya has moved into that conversation.
“I certainly see Paul being a starter. He's had a good summer.
He's improved a lot,” Self said about Mbiya. “He's a lot more confident and playing bigger, so I really think the last week or so of summer, he showed us all something that we hadn't seen yet since he's been here.”
That’s a notable endorsement for the Congolese big man, who appears to be building real momentum heading into his sophomore season. Self not only sees growth, but a path to meaningful minutes right away. And with Kansas needing someone to help replace Flory Bidunga’s production, Mbiya’s job description is pretty simple: rebound, protect the rim, and hold his own inside.
The numbers from last season don’t jump off the page. Mbiya finished his freshman year averaging 1.2 points, 1.4 rebounds and 0.2 blocks per game.
But the late-season stretch told a different story. During Kansas’ NCAA Tournament run, he averaged 6.0 points and 4.5 rebounds, flashing the kind of upside that has some fans wondering whether Self was keeping him on a shorter leash in the regular season before turning him loose in March.
The physical tools have always been obvious. Mbiya is 6-foot-11 with a 7-foot-8 wingspan, the sort of frame that gets NBA scouts paying attention if the rest of the game keeps coming along. Self’s comments suggest that development is happening, both in confidence and in how he’s using that size.
Reeves was expected to be the guy when he arrived from Charleston, but the injury history adds uncertainty to that plan. With Mušikić still in limbo and Reeves not yet back, Mbiya’s familiarity with KU’s system gives him a head start. Add in the raw athletic profile and the progress he’s shown this summer, and he looks like the clearest breakout candidate in 2026-27.
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