How Dedric and K.J. Lawson have kept Kansas basketball undefeated

For a team ranked No. 2 in the AP Poll with an unbeaten record and a pair of wins over top-10 teams, the Kansas Jayhawks haven’t really established their narrative.

In the preseason, the story was the drama surrounding Silvio de Sousa and the FBI’s investigation into college basketball. On opening night, when Kansas dismantled Michigan State in the Champions Classic, that talk quieted as Quentin Grimes hit six threes in his collegiate debut. Six days later, LaGerald Vick went 8-8 from deep and dropped 32 on Vermont.

The Jayhawks aren’t a team defined by just one guy.

But maybe brothers Dedric Lawson and K.J. Lawson can help shape the team’s identity more than any one player.

The Memphis transfers both sat out last year but have each had their chances to shine through what has been a demanding early season schedule. Dedric is more polished and his contributions are most eye-catching. The preseason Big 12 Newcomer of the Year was the NIT Season Tip-Off MVP and scored 50 total points over two games at Barclays Center — both wins over top-40 teams in Marquette and Tennessee.

Dedric thinks of himself as a versatile 4, a capable scorer in the post but also a reliable ball-handler. Coach Bill Self has even called him the best passer he has ever had at Kansas.

His offensive capability in the post is almost as impressive as his versatility. When he plays down there, he’s not just a guy who will clean up a missed shot — though he’s great at that, as well. He also has a controlled and borderline un-guardable hook shot that he’s unleashed several times this season and has a knack for finishing through contact. It makes him a threat both in the halfcourt and on the break.

“I thought Dedric was great,” Self said after the Tennessee game. “The jump hook he made was a big time jump hook in the middle of the lane. LaGerald gave [him] a perfect pass and lob and he ran the floor.

Through five games, we’ve seen a little bit of every aspect to Dedric’s game. It’s shown in his 17.8 points, 10.4 rebounds, and 3.8 assists per game. The Jayhawks’ win over Tennessee, however, was our first chance to see how KJ fits into the mix.

He played 10 minutes and was productive in the Michigan State game but had a more tangible impact against the Volunteers. He played a season-high 19 minutes and scored a season-high eight points. More importantly, he gave the team the emotional boost it needed in a game that could have gone south about a half-dozen times through the second half and overtime.

It was the perfect game for KJ’s style even though neither team was at its best.

“I just like games like these where you go against guys that are gonna compete and not back down,” he said. “It’s not a pretty game, everybody’s not shooting free, everybody’s trying to force it down your throat.”

This came as no surprise to Dedric, who has been waiting for his brother to get his shot.

“That’s been our game our whole life since we’ve been 3 and 5,” Dedric said. “Going out there and competing, he has my back, I have his back. We look after each other.”

It speaks to Kansas’s depth that KJ is coming off the bench after averaging 12-and-8 as a sophomore at Memphis. With all the talent around him, it’s hard to imagine KJ duplicating those numbers in Lawrence, but he doesn’t have to. He’s going to get more playing time as long as Marcus Garrett is out with concussion symptoms and Grimes continues to struggle. That means he may have to play on the perimeter more, which is just fine. But like his brother, KJ is versatile. He’s played stretches at the 4 this year and even placed fifth in the American in defensive rebounding percentage in his last season at Memphis, per KenPom.

He summed it up best after the Tennessee game when talking about his role going forward:

“I knew I’d play significant minutes,” he said. “But I always stay ready because you’ve got to be ready whenever your name is called.”

The Lawsons are both known quantities and matchup enigmas. It’s what they’ve always been and how they prefer to play together.