photo by: Nick Krug

Dedric Lawson puts up a shot during a scrimmage on Wednesday, June 7, 2017 at the Horejsi Family Athletics Center.

A lot has been said this offseason about the enormous potential possessed by Kansas junior Dedric Lawson, a 6-foot-9, multitalented transfer forward from Memphis who sat out last season and is eligible to play again when the games begin next month.

From the double-double he averaged during his last season at Memphis to his size, passing ability, silky smooth prowess as a scorer and all things yet unseen, the expectations for Lawson during the 2018-19 season already were sky-high.

And then KU coach Bill Self, during Wednesday’s annual media day at Allen Fieldhouse, went and took them to a whole other place.

“I got such a kick out of Bird,” began Self, talking about basketball legend Larry Bird. Yes, that Larry Bird.

“You know, he was my all-time favorite,” Self continued. “But people talked about him being slow. Bird wasn’t slow. He had an unbelievable first step and he knew how to play so well he kept everybody off balance. He was quick. Maybe not as fast in a foot race, but he was unbelievably quick. Dedric’s kind of like that.”

Here is a Hall of Fame basketball coach, who has been around some of the best players and coaches in the game’s history throughout his career, saying that one of his current players reminds him a little of one of the all-time greats.

It doesn’t matter if it’s just one area he’s talking about. That’s a big deal. Even more to the point, it sets Lawson up to step into some big situations. And, from the sound of things, it doesn’t sound like Self believes any moment will be too big or any task too large for Lawson this season.

“What Dedric needs to do is he needs to be able to play everywhere for us,” Self said. “I think he could, at times, be our best point guard. I think at times he could be our best low-post scorer. So we’ve got to move him around and come up with some creative ways to do that.”

While the conversation eventually ventured into talk about Lawson’s offense, the whole thing was set up with a simple question about how Lawson’s defensive skills stacked up.

After answering with a simple, “I’d say fine,” Self jumped into the Larry Bird connection, which went on for nearly a full minute.

“You look at him and say, ‘Well, he doesn’t look like he runs as fast as maybe what a Silvio (De Sousa) would,” Self said of Lawson. “But his first step is very deceptive. So he can guard. He’s actually a pretty good shot blocker — he averaged over two a game at Memphis. … You know, he’s not a jet-quick, explosive athlete, but he’s a terrific athlete.”

And that sneaky athleticism, while aiding him plenty on the defensive end, also makes Lawson a more dangerous scorer no matter where he is on the court, according to Self. In fact, Self said it was Lawson, “probably as much as anybody,” who was best equipped to go off script to get buckets when the offense breaks down.

Even Lawson, who by all accounts is a very smooth and naturally gifted scorer, was willing to talk a little defense during his Media Day interview sessions.

But whether it’s offense or defense, his game or a teammate’s, Larry Bird or KU’s assistant AD for equipment services Larry Hare, Lawson really is concerned about just one thing.

“I am looking forward to getting out there with this group of guys and just winning games,” he said Wednesday. “We have a team that can be really good defensively this year. We have a lot of long bodies, we’re athletic and we can rebound at a high level. I really think this year’s team could be pretty special.”