Kansas Basketball 2023 Recruiting Profiles: Marcus Adams Jr.

The final piece of KU's freshman class is a 6-8 forward who reclassified from the class of 2024.

The final member of Kansas’ 2023 freshman class wasn’t even supposed to be in college this fall. Marcus Adams was a member of the 2024 class who reclassified after committing to the Jayhawks in early March. Now he’s looking to step into a role that had been filled by a first-team All-American.

Our freshman profile series concludes with 6-8 forward Marcus Adams Jr.

Player overview

The small forward has already drawn comparisons in body and position to Jalen Wilson, and the recruiting ranking is similar, too. Wilson was the No. 53 player and No. 13 small forward on 247Sports composite, and Adams is No. 57 overall and No. 13 SF in his class. Though, 247Sports does have Adams at No. 36 in its rankings and No. 8 at his position.

The LA native Adams was a late bloomer but had a ton of interest from schools like Arkansas, Indiana, Texas, Oregon, Tennessee, and more, but the front runners were Kansas and hometown UCLA. Those were the two schools where Adams visited, and as Shreyas Laddha of the Kansas City Star pointed out, Adams was close to becoming a Bruin if not for a timely phone call and pitch from Bill Self.

While he originally was not going to be setting foot on campus until 2024, Adams had enough credits to graduate early, so he announced his decision to reclassify shortly after KU’s second-round loss to Arkansas.

Analyst scouting report

There isn’t a ton out there on Adams because, as Eric Bossi of 247Sports pointed out, he really wasn’t on the national radar until this last year and wasn’t always playing top opponents. But what a season Adams had for Narbonne High School in Harbor City, California, a neighborhood of LA, as a junior. Adams averaged 28.8 points and 6.8 rebounds in 27 games, including three 40-point games and while scoring 50 points on January 11.

Bossi raves about his talent and says, “He is a big wing who can also play at the four and he showed off the ability to create and make deep jumpers, pound the glass and finish above the rim in traffic.”

Adams himself echoed that assessment of his scoring, telling the Kansas City Star, “That’s what I am here to do — to be a three-level scorer and just score.”

How he fits

While the other members of this KU class provide size and athleticism for their position, Adams’ 6-8 frame is something the Jayhawks can definitely benefit from. And while much of the focus is on scoring, Wilson was an incredible rebounder while playing the four, and KU needs Adams to also focus on crashing the glass.

It will also be interesting to see how his shooting looks early in the year. Wilson took his game to another level when he could stretch defenses on the perimeter. Similarly, I wonder how much time Adams will split with KJ Adams at the four, or if KJ stays as a small five primarily.

Adams gives Self yet another piece to move around the court and tinker with, this time with the type of frame that Dick and Wilson possessed. And there’s a reason Adams reclassified. Kansas can use him and will find a way to make him effective in next year’s system.