Kansas forward David McCormack (33) is hounded by Oklahoma State forward Duncan Demuth (5) and Oklahoma State forward Cameron McGriff (12) during the first half, Saturday, Feb. 9, 2019 at Allen Fieldhouse.

Before the season began, not a whole lot was expected out of David McCormack during his freshman year with the Kansas basketball program.

It wasn’t that the 6-foot-10 forward from prep powerhouse Oak Hill Academy lacked potential. It was just that McCormack was joining what looked like a very crowded frontcourt, with 7-footer Udoka Azubuike, 6-9 forwards Dedric Lawson and Silvio De Sousa and 6-8 Mitch Lightfoot all possessing more experience than the freshman.

Of course, McCormack’s expectations have changed significantly since then. Azubuike suffered a season-ending wrist injury and De Sousa was ruled ineligible by the NCAA. What’s more, as KU lost two potential starting guards for an unknown amount of time due to Marcus Garrett’s injured ankle and Lagerald Vick’s leave of absence, all of the sudden Kansas needed McCormack — now.

After not playing a single minute in KU’s road loss at Kansas State on Feb. 5, McCormack was thrust into the starting lineup. The freshman big man went from rarely playing 10 minutes in a game to hearing his name called during pregame introductions.

The Jayhawks (19-6 overall, 8-4 Big 12) are 2-0 with McCormack in the starting five, with wins against OSU and TCU. But that doesn’t mean his transition to a new role has been easy.

As McCormack continues getting used to starting he said both Azubuike and De Sousa have helped him out by offering up some advice.

“Don’t try to go out and make home run plays and be a superstar,” said McCormack, relating their message. “Just do what you know how to do and do what you do best, and you can work your way up to doing things like that. That’ll benefit the team in the times that it counts.”

Playing alongside more established members of KU’s rotation, McCormack hasn’t been asked to do much. Through his first two starts he’s scored 4 total points (with all of them coming at TCU) while playing a combined 31 minutes. He’s just 1 for 6 from the floor as a starter, but is averaging 4.0 rebounds a game, plus 1.0 blocks and no turnovers.

Sometimes McCormack is running so hard or such a ball of energy inside while positioning for a rebound or posting up that it appears he’s trying to do too much. His shots inside have looked hurried, too, and sometimes the ball gets away from his hands as he goes after a rebound or entry pass.

Effort and want-to clearly aren’t issues for him. McCormack said what he must continue to work on is slowing things down.

“I know right now I’m not the playmaker type, the go-to guy,” he said. “But I know if I need to set a ball screen or get a specific rebound that’s my job to do and make sure I do that properly.”

KU coach Bill Self has praised one such aspect of McCormack’s impact repeatedly. The freshman’s footwork allows him to defend ball screens effectively on the perimeter.

The 6-10, 265-pound forward said he’s been working on his ball screen defense “a while,” predating his time at KU.

“I knew that was going to be a big thing, coming into college, just working on my lateral movement and speed,” McCormack said, adding coaches and Azubuike talk with him regularly about little things that can make him even more functional in that role. “Getting out and hedging the ball screen but making sure I get back quick, as well.”

With only six games left in the regular season, McCormack is currently one of four freshmen starting for KU — though that could change when Garrett is cleared to play.

Self and his staff ask much more of guards Devon Dotson, Ochai Agbaji and Quentin Grimes than they do of McCormack. But the big man who was a McDonald’s All-American just a year ago is happy to be contributing with his fellow freshmen.

“Other than youthfulness I think we all bring energy in our own way,” McCormack said. “Devon is just speedy, fast. You know, he does what he can in leading. And as you can see, Ochai, coach says he has like a model-type smile. He always has great energy, great positivity. I just bring as much energy as I can as far as rebounding. And Q just tries to bring people together, as well. So I think we just connect people in our own way.”

At some point, everything will begin clicking for McCormack, and he’ll provide KU with even more. Maybe it will happen this season, or maybe it will show when he’s a sophomore. In the meantime, he’ll keep doing the little things that can help, as advised by the big men who were supposed to be playing in front of him this season.