Bill Self evaluates NBA comparisons for Johnny Furphy

After suffering their second loss of the season and first versus a Big 12 opponent against UCF last Wednesday, Kansas head coach Bill Self made a change to the Jayhawks starting lineup, inserting freshman forward Johnny Furphy into his starting five.

The decision has clearly paid off, with Furphy thriving as a starter and Kansas winning their second straight game on Tuesday. Defeating Oklahoma State in dominant fashion on the road with a 90-66 victory in Stillwater.

Furphy’s recent play has received some attention and buzz, even drawing comparisons to Orlando Magic forward Franz Wagner by teammate Hunter Dickinson. Which led to Self being asked about the comparison following the Jayhawks’ win over the Cowboys on Tuesday night.

“Well you guys are getting a little bit carried away, okay?” Self said.

The NBA All-Rookie First Team selection has been having a career season in his third year with the Magic, averaging a career-high 20.9 points, 5.9 rebounds, and 3.9 assists per game through 34 games. And while Fruphy is yet to reach those heights, he does remind Self of a former NBA player who played his college days at Duke.

“I mean size wise it’s comparable, size wise kind of looks like Dunleavy, doesn’t he? Michael? I even told Jay Will that today at shoot around, I said just physically like that,” Self said. “But he’s a long ways away from being that, he’s got to get stronger in a lot of things but he’s doing really well.”

Furphy and Mike Dunleavy do have a similar build, standing at 6-foot-9 with the ability to be impactful on both ends of the floor.

Furphy joined the team in August of 2023 as a freshman from Melbourne, Australia with potential, providing length, athleticism, and the ability to knock down three-point shots, finish at the basket, and play above the rim on offense and defense.

He made his first career start for Kansas in the Maui Invitational versus Chaminade for KJ Adams who had just flown into Hawaii. But in the Jayhawks’ last two games, he’s been extremely impactful as a full-time starter, averaging 11 points, five rebounds, one assist, one block, and one steal per game during the two-game stretch.

Furphy has also been shooting the ball extremely well during Kansas’ back-to-back games against the Big 12’s Oklahoma schools, shooting 57% from the field, 50% from the three-point line, and 100% from the free throw line versus the Sooners and the Cowboys.

There’s no question that Furphy has the potential to live up to the lofty NBA comparisons he’s drawn if he continues to play at a high level for the Jayhawks and shows improvement. But for now, Self is just hoping the true freshman from down under can keep providing a needed spark and a positive impact on Kansas’ starting five.