KJ Adams makes decision on Kansas future, NBA Draft

KJ Adams Jr. isn’t going anywhere. On Tuesday, the Kansas forward made his plan for next season abundantly clear with a post on X, stating, “Never was leaving #rockchalk.”

Adams made 34 appearances in the 2023-24 season, including 32 starts. The 6-foot-7 junior averaged 12.6 points, 4.6 rebounds and 3.1 assists per game while shooting 60.1% from the field. He finished the year 0-3 from beyond the arc.

Adams joined Kansas ahead of the 2021-22 season and averaged 4.9 minutes per game on a team that went on to win the national championship.

The Texas native took a major leap forward in his sophomore season, increasing his points per game average from 1.0 to 10.6 to claim the Big 12 Most Improved Player Award. Adams was not included in ESPN’s Jonathan Givony’s latest 2024 NBA Mock Draft despite his improved numbers this season.

In Kansas’ season-ending loss to Gonzaga in the NCAA Tournament’s Round of 32, Adams recorded 10 points and six rebounds, connecting on 41.7% of his attempts from the field. Kansas finished this past season with a 23-11 record and a 10-8 mark in conference play.

Kansas adds Florida guard Riley Kugel in the transfer portal

KJ Adams Jr. certainly isn’t the only talent Kansas has locked up this offseason. On Sunday, Florida Gators shooting guard Riley Kugel committed to Kansas.

Kugel played his high school basketball at Dr. Phillips in Orlando, Florida. There, he was a four-star recruit in the Class of 2022, according to the On3 Industry Ranking. He was also the 10th-ranked shooting guard and the 72nd-ranked player nationally in that cycle.

In two seasons at Florida, Riley Kugel played in 65 games, starting 28 of them. For his career, he is averaging 9.5 points, 3.2 rebounds, and 1.2 assists per game. He’s also shooting 42.3 percent from the field during the course of his college career.

This season, Kugel was a key figure on Florida’s team, helping the Gators to go 24-12 before being eliminated in their first game of the NCAA Tournament. However, later in the season, Kugel did see his minutes go down from where they had been previously.

Prior to committing to transfer to Kansas, Kugel trimmed his list of transfer destinations down to Arizona, UConn, Houston, and Kansas. Along with the Jayhawks, that’s a list that included two of this season’s NCAA Tournament one-seeds as well as a two-seed.