Cheick Diallo’s erratic play leaves Bill Self with a dilemma
At the end of the first start of Cheick Diallo’s college career Tuesday night, two things were already plainly clear.
You can see why Kansas fans clamor for the McDonald’s All-American to receive more playing time. You can also see why Kansas coach Bill Self is reluctant to trust him.
Diallo showed occasional glimpses of promise during third-ranked Kansas’ head-scratching 86-67 loss at previously struggling Oklahoma State, but the 6-foot-9 freshman also looked lost on numerous possessions as well. He finished with four points and two rebounds in 13 minutes, often displaying the athleticism and activity that make him an NBA prospect but not the grasp of Kansas’ system he needs to earn more than sporadic minutes.
There was one first-half possession in which Diallo left his man to attempt to block a shot he had no chance of reaching and as a result wound up surrendering an offensive rebound. There was another in which he got switched onto Jawun Evans on a pick and roll and the Oklahoma State guard blew by him like he wasn’t even there. There was a third in which he lost sight of his man for so long that it resulted in a wide-open top of the key 3-pointer.
Diallo also drew the anger of his teammates when several times he failed to execute one of Kansas’ most basic plays.
The inability of Diallo to tighten his grip on a starting job is one of many disappointing aspects of Kansas’ worst game of the season so far. The Jayhawks couldn’t keep Evans out of the lane or run Oklahoma State’s shooters off the 3-point line, nor could they hit nearly enough jumpers of their own to keep pace once the torrid-shooting Cowboys began to widen their lead midway through the second half.
While all of those issues are concerns for Kansas, it’s what to do with Diallo that creates the most intriguing dilemma for Self. You can’t blame Self for not playing a freshman who became eligible in December and still doesn’t appear to know all the plays, yet the Jayhawks undeniably cannot reach their ceiling unless Diallo is making an impact.
While veterans Jamari Traylor, Landen Lucas and Hunter Mickelson are steadier and more experienced than Diallo, the freshman is easily the most talented option to play alongside Perry Ellis and the best complement to Ellis as well.
Ellis atones for modest length and athleticism with a polished repertoire of back-to-the-basket moves and a mid-range jump shot consistent out to nearly the 3-point arc. Diallo isn’t going to scare anyone if Kansas feeds him the ball in the high post or on the low block, but he runs the floor exceptionally, finishes above the rim and has wingspan and athleticism to alter shots around the basket.
If the game slows down for Diallo, he can be a critical piece for Kansas. At the same time, he often hurts the Jayhawks more than he helps these days, which explains why he hadn’t played double-digit minutes in any of his six previous games prior to Saturday against TCU.
How Self approaches Diallo’s playing time in the coming weeks might come down to whether he values Kansas’ streak of Big 12 titles more than he does giving the Jayhawks their best chance to win a national championship this spring.
If Self wants to put his team into position to win now, maybe playing Diallo sparingly is still the right option. If he wants to give his team the best chance to win in March and April, Diallo probably needs more rope to learn on the fly and play through his mistakes.
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Jeff Eisenberg is the editor of The Dagger on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter!
