Kansas’ young guards will need some time to develop, Self cautions

Admittedly a bit spoiled after coaching 2017 and ‘18 Big 12 players of the year Frank Mason and Devonte Graham the past two seasons, Bill Self is willing to wait a while for his freshman guard tandem of Quentin Grimes and Devon Dotson to click.

“It’s been a little inconsistent. Our guys are not comfortable with anything other than survival right now,” Self, Kansas’ 16th-year coach, said in an interview with NCAA.com’s Andy Katz prior to Tuesday’s season-opening 92-87 victory over Michigan State at Bankers Life Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.

“Forget about a guard knowing what everybody should be doing every possession. To them it’s ‘I’ve got to worry about myself.’ We’re about a month away from those guys really maturing and developing into what I consider a big-time backcourt,” Self said.

The two freshmen, who combined for 14 points, six assists and three turnovers in a pair of exhibition wins over Emporia State and Washburn, took giant steps forward under ESPN’s bright lights on Tuesday night.

Grimes scored 21 points with four assists against one turnover, while Dotson had 16 points, three assists and four turnovers versus the No. 10-ranked Spartans. The duo hit nine three-pointers in 15 tries.

“This is the first time we’ve seen him (Grimes) play like this. The first time we’ve seen Q and Devon play like this,” Self said. “The excitement of the game had them sped up a bit. It’s a good problem to have.”

Dotson, a 6-2 freshman from Charlotte, N.C., made three three-pointers in five attempts against Michigan State after missing his only three-point try in the two exhibitions.

“I wasn’t surprised (at hitting threes Tuesday),” Dotson said, “because of the amount of work I put into my jump shot. I put up shots every day. I wasn’t surprised at all. They fell tonight. Really I’m just happy we got the win.”

Of Dotson, Self said after the victory: “When he gets downhill, he’s fast. Tonight he shot it well. Sometimes he reminds me of Frank (Mason) when he was young, with (more) speed,” Self said of Dotson.

Grimes hit 6 of 10 3s vs. Michigan State after making two of seven in the preseason.

“That’s what he does. He can get hot. We see it at practice,” Dotson said of Grimes, a 6-5 native of The Woodlands, Texas.

“I was coming off ball screens. My teammates were finding me every time,” Grimes said.

KU’s two other contenders for the starting guard slots — sophomores Charlie Moore and Marcus Garrett — combined for five points on 1-of-4 shooting in 25 minutes.

Garrett had two assists against no turnovers in 14 minutes; Moore one point, zero assists and zero turnovers in 11 minutes.

“Dedric has been our best leader verbally,” Self said of junior transfer Dedric Lawson, who scored 20 points and grabbed 14 rebounds versus MSU in his official KU debut. “Lagerald is quiet,” Self added of senior Lagerald Vick, who opened the season by scoring two points on 1-of-7 shooting.

“Our two guards … it would be nice if they were able to do that,” Self added of Grimes and Dotson speaking up more. “Right now that’s probably one of the biggest weaknesses of our team, those guys getting outside their comfort zone and being good talkers and really being a great leader because you can lead by example, but also need some take-charge guys on the court.”