Kansas may have found the kind of point guard room that changes the feel of an entire team.
That’s not because Taylen Kinney and Leroy Blyden Jr. are built the same. They aren’t. It’s because together, they can give the Jayhawks a little bit of everything a lead guard is supposed to bring: pace, scoring, distribution, and enough versatility to fit into a system that can use both on- and off-ball value.
Blyden is the veteran of the pair, even if he’s only now a sophomore. He just turned in one of the most overlooked seasons in college basketball with Toledo, putting up 16.4 points, 4.5 assists, 4 rebounds and 1.8 steals across 34 games while shooting 46.6% from the field. He entered the portal as the nation’s No. 106 prospect and the No. 20 point guard, and earlier in the offseason, Self praised Blyden’s shooting while pointing to his ability to help as a passer, scorer and off-ball piece.
Kinney brings the flash. He’s one of Kansas’ two five-stars in the 2026 class, a level of recruiting luxury most programs simply don’t get to enjoy.
Over two seasons in the OTE, he showed off different layers of his game. In 2024-25, he averaged 20.1 points, 4 rebounds, 5 assists, 2.3 steals and 1.9 turnovers while shooting 55.6% from the field.
The next year, his numbers shifted to 18.8 points, 4.8 rebounds, 6.1 assists, 1.2 steals and 2.5 turnovers, with his field-goal percentage down to 40.6%.
That drop in shooting percentage is the obvious concern. Still, as coaches like to say, a guard whose main issue is shot-making has a cleaner path than one whose flaws run deeper. For now, that question stays open until the season starts to sort itself out.
What makes this pairing especially interesting is how directly it addresses Kansas’ biggest issues from last season. The Jayhawks averaged 75.1 points per game, which ranked No. 161 nationally. Even with the caveat that they played in what could reasonably be called college basketball’s toughest conference, that’s not enough production for a team with KU’s talent.
The passing numbers weren’t much better. Kansas finished No. 150 in assists per game at 13.9, and the distribution was thin behind Melvin Council Jr., who accounted for 5.1 of those assists.
Tre White was next on the list at just 1.8. That kind of drop-off tells the story all by itself.
If Kinney and Blyden deliver what they’re capable of, Kansas’ point guard situation could end up being more than just solid. It could be the strength that makes the whole thing go.
In Other News...
Kansas Rebuilt Backfield Is Already Bringing New Pressure
Kansas footballs retooled backfield is already drawing attention before the season even kicks off. Dylan Edwards and Yasin Willis landed on the Doak Walker Award preseason watch list, putting both Jayhawks running backs in the national conversation for the sports top back and underscoring how much the offense may lean on that group this fall.
Edwards arrives after stops at Colorado and Kansas State, while Willis comes in from Syracuse, and their different paths point to a backfield built with more than one style in mind. For Kansas, the bigger question now is not whether the room has talent, but how quickly that revamped group can turn preseason recognition into production when the games start to count. [Read more 🡒]
Kansas Still Has A Roster Problem It Can't Afford To Carry
Kansas is still working the phones as it looks to strengthen a roster that has room to get better, but the shape of the team remains unsettled in a way that matters as the season creeps closer. With two open spots available, the Jayhawks have been trying to add another piece, and the need is obvious enough: depth remains a concern, especially in the middle, where every option carries more weight than it should this time of year.
Mihailo Muiki has been part of the conversation, but his path is tied up in NCAA eligibility issues that leave his status cloudy for now. And while Kansas would love clarity on any front, it does not have much of it, with possible help still dependent on ongoing eligibility questions and legal matters elsewhere on the board. For a team that wants its rotation settled, the wait itself has become part of the problem. [Read more 🡒]
Kansas Has Sky High Hype But One Risk Fans Can't Ignore
Kansas is already being treated like a national storyline for 2026-27, and it starts with the familiar presence of Bill Self on the sideline and the kind of recruiting haul that usually sends expectations into overdrive. The Jayhawks are bringing in two five-star freshmen, headlined by Tyran Stokes, and that alone is enough to make people talk about championship upside before a game has been played.
The caution flag is the same one that tends to shadow young, talent-heavy rosters: experience. Kansas has only three true upperclassmen on the roster, which leaves a lot of the burden on freshmen to settle in fast and carry meaningful minutes in a demanding Big 12 grind. ESPNs projection range makes the point clearly enough, with a path that looks solid if the newcomers are merely good and another that gets much more ambitious if they become something closer to immediate difference-makers. [Read more 🡒]