Kansas newcomer Bryson Tiller applauds some play by his teammates during the second half on Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2025 at Allen Fieldhouse. Photo by Nick Krug

Fort Worth, Texas — Early-enrolling freshman forward Bryson Tiller’s transition to Kansas has been a smooth one in virtually every way — with one exception.

“It’s great,” he told broadcaster Brian Hanni on KU’s pregame radio show on Wednesday. “I’m really loving it up here. Besides the weather, everything is going pretty smoothly.”

As grim as the winter weather has been since Tiller’s arrival on Jan. 6, it didn’t stop him from making his way to Lawrence in the aftermath of the severe early-January storm, joining the Jayhawks after their trip back from UCF. And in the weeks since, as the newest member of the KU men’s basketball team, he’s been picking up speed as he moves past a long-term ankle injury.

KU coach Bill Self said on Monday on his “Hawk Talk” radio show that Tiller has only been working in individual drills so far, but he’s just a few days away now from getting checked out by physicians and having a chance to become a full member of KU’s scout team.

That will be his role as he redshirts for the remainder of the 2024-25 season, with an eye toward major contributions on a new-look team next fall.

Self has repeatedly said he believes Tiller is better than his national ranking (just outside the top 20), which has been depressed by his injury.

“He’s a legit 6-9, 240,” Self said. “He’s not really a center, he’s much more of a 4-man that can play center, more so than a center that can play forward, which we’re excited about that. He shoots the ball well. He’s got some 3-point range, but he’s probably better from 17 (feet) and in, but he’s got great feet and he’s very, very skilled.”

Tiller, an Atlanta native who had competed at Overtime Elite prior to his injury, said he hopes to play like a combination of the Orlando Magic’s Paolo Banchero, in terms of how he picks his spots from the midrange, and the Milwaukee Bucks’ Giannis Antetokounmpo, in terms of how he uses his size. For Tiller, the opportunity to enroll early gave him a chance “just to come up here with an open mind and just to learn.”

“To get used to how plays are (run), how Coach is coaching, how I can develop my game even more, is going to be beneficial,” Tiller said.

So far, his teammates, some of whom will be around next year and some not, have given him a sense of these things, too: “They’ve led me to things that I don’t know. They help me figure out ways to get better every day.”

When Tiller becomes a full-fledged practice participant, he’ll help his fellow Jayhawks as well.

“There’s ways he can contribute by making them guard him,” Self said. “He’ll be a nice addition to the scout unit in actually being able to do some things that other people will attempt to do against us.”