If there’s one thing I’ve heard talked about more than any other regarding the make-up of the 2026-27 Kansas basketball roster, it’s questions about the KU big men.
Do they have enough? Who will play? Are they good enough? Should they add more?
Those questions have received different answers from different people, but, earlier this week, JayhawkSlant.com reported that the Jayhawks received a commitment from Serbian 7-footer Mihailo Musikic.
Adding the 7-foot, 230-pound big man is not as simple as getting him a flight and a uniform. There are some important steps that need to be tackled before he becomes an official part of the roster. And it sounds like those steps might make his addition far from a done deal.
But the mere fact that the Jayhawks have looked into adding him certainly indicates that Bill Self and company would not mind adding another body to the front court.
The Jayhawks are not without options down low.
There’s some hope and intrigue around returning 7-footer Paul Mbiya and the reports I’ve heard about his jump this summer have been encouraging. He looks both leaner and better, but he’s still a little raw, lacks real experience and will have to show that the offseason jump was real before he becomes a force up front.
There’s a lot to like about transfer Christian Reeves, a 7-foot-2 senior who started his career at Duke and got it back on track last season at Charleston, but he spent a good chunk of the offseason dealing with shoulder surgery and it’s hard to know how far back that set him in the transition to KU.
Those are the only true centers listed on KU’s current roster, and the front court depth is rounded out by forwards Keanu Dawes, a 6-9 Utah transfer who has starter written all over him and Davion Adkins, a ferocious freshman who plays hard, fast and above the rim.
Depth pieces and valuable practice bodies Atticus Richmond (6-8, 230) and Grant Mordini (6-11, 210) also factor into what KU has up front, but I wouldn’t expect either player to be counted for a big role if something went south with Mbiya or Reeves.
That’s where Musikic enters the picture and why he could be a valuable addition to the roster if things go that direction.
We say “could be” because he still has to become eligible and be cleared to play college basketball. Neither task is a small feat. But if he’s able to join the Jayhawks in time for the upcoming season, his size, athleticism and relatively solid experience against grown men immediately make him a factor for playing time of one type or another.
He’s 24 years old and has played professional ball in Serbia for the past few years and was a part of various Serbian national teams in the years before that.
He played for the Under-16 team at the 2018 FIBA U16 European Championship, averaging 7 points, 5 rebounds and 1 assist per game.
He also played for the Under-19 team in 2021 at the FIBA U19 Basketball World Cup, where he averaged 10.4 points, 5 rebounds and 3 assists per game.
In 2022, he helped Serbia win gold at the 2022 FIBA U20 European Championships, averaging 11 points, 3 rebounds and 2 assists during that run.
Musikic’s physical and mental maturity certainly make him an intriguing option for minutes in the front court if the Jayhawks are able to get him on campus.
If not, Self’s squad likely will rely on getting as many quality minutes as possible out of Mbiya and Reeves while also having the potential, perhaps, to play Dawes at the 5, like they did with a similarly undersized KJ Adams back in 2022-23.
Dawes is not exactly the same type of player as Adams, but he’s long, athletic, can play on the perimeter and would give the Jayhawks an option to play smaller and faster while potentially creating some matchup problems for opponents in the process.
Going that route is probably not the first choice for anybody, but it would be an option if needed.
So, too, is Musikic, so keep an ear out for any concrete developments on his status and push to become eligible.
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