Kansas guard Frank Mason III (0) and Kansas forward Carlton Bragg Jr. secure a rebound from Oklahoma during the second half, Tuesday, Jan. 10, 2017 at Lloyd Noble Center in Norman, Okla.

When KU senior Landen Lucas was going through a bit of a funk earlier this season, he climbed his way out of it by narrowing his focus, emphasizing defense and rebounding, and then watched all other aspects of his game slowly come around.

The result? Lucas has recorded double-doubles in three of his first four Big 12 games this season and two weeks ago was called by KU coach Bill Self the team’s most consistent player.

Sophomore forward Carlton Bragg Jr. is mired in a funk similar to the one Lucas battled through to begin the season. But because the 6-foot-10 forward from Cleveland has spent most of his life dominating opponents and making headlines for his abilities on the offensive end of the floor, Bragg has not been able to follow the exact recipe that Lucas did to play his way through it.

“There’s no question C.B. may say that’s the way he thinks,” Self said. “But that’s not in his core. He’s always been a guy that scored the ball pretty easy and shot a lot of jumpers and those sorts of things, which is fine. There’s nothing wrong with that.”

However, on a team loaded with offensive firepower and in need of another forward to both complement and relieve Lucas, Bragg’s best chance of making a meaningful impact from here on out may be dependent upon him finding a way to follow in Lucas’ footsteps.

Lucas sees Bragg trying to do just that.

“You (see it) every day in practice,” Lucas said. “Even if you really break it down and look at it in games, he’s doing the right things. His mindset’s in the right place.”

Bragg’s production — 6.3 points and 5.4 rebounds in 15.7 minutes per game — does not always reveal Bragg’s best intentions and Self believes that may be more mental than anything. Caught out of place, off balance or out of position, Bragg has struggled with everything from finishing near the rim to rebounding above it. His biggest issue has seemed to be his hands, where, too often, he has bobbled loose balls or allowed opponents — occasionally even a teammate — to rip or poke the ball away from him.

“He has better hands than what he’s shown,” Self said. “But, for the most part, we probably haven’t done as much as what we should be doing in that area. I don’t think his hands are bad, but I just think he loses focus.”

Often willing to remain upbeat and look from the calming, positive side of every situation, Lucas said he appreciated Bragg’s effort and desire to do the right thing.

“Not everybody has the mindset to do those things,” Lucas said of emphasizing defense and rebounding. “That’s just something I’ve kind of always had. There’s two steps to it. You’ve gotta, one, get the mindset, and, two, have it translate onto the court. It might be a little bit harder (for Bragg), but he’s definitely capable of doing it. He’s very talented. And, while he might be an offensive player, he definitely has the abilities to do the other things. Once he focuses on those things, the rest will come. I’ve always believed in that, especially as a big. All of a sudden, one game it’ll just start going well, whatever it may be is just gonna be in the past and everything will be a lot easier.”

“I’ve gone through the same kind of stuff, so I can understand what he’s going through,” Lucas continued. “If it is a slump, or whatever it is, he’s doing the hard part. He’s getting to where he needs to be. He’s getting his hands on the ball. You’d rather have him be in the spot and maybe miss a ball than not even be in the play at all. I think he’ll be able to change that around pretty quick.”