KJ Adams injury update: New details emerge on timeline for Kansas forward's return

Feb. 1 vs. Baylor is a “reasonable projection” on a potential return for the injured Kansas forward KJ Adams, Jayhawks head coach Bill Self told ESPN’s Pete Thamel.

Self cautioned that Adams, who injured his shoulder against Iowa State on Jan. 15, is not cleared to play just yet. He’s been limited to non-basketball activities such as rehab and conditioning, but Self believes Adams will “resume some shooting in the next few days.”

In turn, Adams has been forced to miss the last two games, and will not be available for Saturday’s massive homestand against No. 7 Houston. Self’s rough timeline for Adams means he’ll at least be on the sidelines for the Jan. 28 matchup against UCF as well.

The injury to Adams happened during the second half of the loss to Iowa State after playing 24 minutes in the 87-57 loss. Afterward, Self shared the initial diagnosis.

“Yeah, he – I don’t know how. He hurt his shoulder,” Self said at the time of the injury. “So I don’t know how significant it is or how much time he’ll miss but, you know, he obviously couldn’t go there when he came back in. I hope it’s not significant, hopefully he won’t miss time but I think we probably will be very lucky if that’s the case.”

Adams has been a key piece to the puzzle for Kansas this season. He’s averaging 8.2 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 2.3 assists this season. That’s on 50 percent shooting from the field and while contributing 0.8 steals and 1.0 blocks per game. For the most part, he’s shared time inside with Hunter Dickinson and Flory Bidunga.

Without Adams in the lineup, Kansas is 2-1 with the two wins against Kansas State and TCU, respectively, they’ve won those games by an average of 11.5 points.

If the Jayhawks do get Adams back for Feb. 1 vs. Baylor, it comes at the right time for Kansas. They’ll play both the Bears and will get another crack at besting Iowa State in back-to-back games to start the month. This allows Kansas the opportunity to add two Quad 1 victories to its resume, who are 4-3 in such games.

They can help their case in that respect even more with a win over Houston at home on Saturday. However, it will be without the services of their veteran forward. Tip-off is set for 6:30 p.m. ET live on Houston.