Kansas guard Josh Jackson (11) goes wild after a dunk during the second half, Tuesday, Nov. 22, 2016 during the championship game of the CBE Classic at Sprint Center.

Kansas basketball coach Bill Self will be the first to tell you that having a 6-foot-8, wildly athletic and ultra-versatile player to experiment with during the 2016-17 season already has been an absolute joy.

But just because KU freshman Josh Jackson allows Self to think outside the box from time to time, on both offense and defense, does not mean the Kansas coach has tried to reinvent who Jackson is or what he does best.

Whether that means asking Jackson to post up smaller players on offense or rebound with the big boys on defense, one key reality has kept Self from getting too carried away with Jackson six games in to the season.

“He’s definitely unique for guys that we’ve had in the past,” Self said. “But it’s not unique to try to put him in different spots because the bottom line is, he’s just a guard. Just play him like just like you do (junior guard) Devonte’ (Graham).”

Jackson has six inches on Graham and probably more when you factor in wingspan and vertical leap. So it’s not as if Graham and Jackson are carbon copies of one another. But because of Jackson’s versatility and the way Self’s attack is structured, their usage is more interchangeable than one might think.

Self has utilized Jackson’s abilities much the way the freshman’s prep and AAU coaches did, playing to his strengths and creating mismatches whenever possible.

“I think he would probably tell you … I don’t think it’s been a lot different,” Self said. “We’ve done some different things to try to get the ball in his hands but, for the most part, he’s just a guard.”

Asked that very question, Jackson made his coach look smart for his prediction.

“It’s actually a lot easier than I thought it would be,” he said of playing the four spot when KU has chosen to go small. “When I’m out there playing the four, it’s not like I’m playing with my back to the basket. I’m still out there playing as if I’m a guard.”

Jackson’s statistics, however, show he’s much more than that.

Through six games, in just 27.2 minutes per outing, Jackson ranks second on the team in scoring at 14.3 points per game and also leads the team in total rebounds (35), offensive rebounds (12) and rebounds per game (5.8). He’s also second in blocks (7), third in assists (19) and third in steals (8), while shooting .540 from the floor. All of that after a slow start to the season.

Even as Jackson struggled out of the gate and battled foul trouble during the first week or two of the season, his familiarity with what was being asked of him and Self’s willingness to fit his strategy to Jackson’s strengths allowed the Detroit freshman to find his flow.

“I trust him to put me in the right position where I feel comfortable,” Jackson said of Self.

Jackson and the Jayhawks (5-1) will return to the floor Tuesday night for a home game against Long Beach State.