Kansas guard Tyran Stokes (4) walks back to the bench during the second half against Duke on Sunday, Oct. 25, 2026 at Allen Fieldhouse. Nick Krug/Special to the Journal-World

The Kansas men’s basketball program only acknowledges seven triple-doubles.

Kevin McCullar Jr. is responsible for two of them in consecutive games early in the 2023-24 season; before him were Jeff Withey (2012) and Cole Aldrich (2009); Wilt Chamberlain gets credit for a couple unofficial instances in KU’s records, even though he likely would have recorded many more if the NCAA tracked blocks in his day; and B.H. Born posted one in the 1953 title game.

If Sunday’s performance in an exhibition against Duke was any indication, KU freshman Tyran Stokes is going to be on triple-double watch for much of the year. In his third opportunity for unofficial college action, against what will be one of the nation’s best defenses, the projected No. 1 pick in the 2027 NBA Draft recorded 27 points, eight rebounds and seven assists in a losing effort.

The 6-foot-8, 230-pound forward seems on a game-by-game basis to be getting a better sense of which opponents he can outmuscle in the paint and what sort of length he can shoot over; meanwhile, the vision and passing acumen his coaches raved about in the offseason were on full display against the Blue Devils

“I learned a lot from the Louisville game, playing off two (feet) more, getting to the rim, definitely trying to play off two as much as I can,” Stokes said. “But it’s definitely going to be physical each and every night, so learning how to absorb the physicality and still finish through my shots, so I feel like I did a great job of that today.”

Stokes’ 24th-year head coach Bill Self, however, has already spoken about his young forward’s willingness to take coaching. And on Sunday, Self said he feels Stokes has not yet scratched the surface of his “ridiculous” talent.

“I think that he hadn’t made free throws at a great clip, because he’s going to get fouled — I think that’s been proven,” Self said. “He hasn’t shot the ball well as of yet. He hasn’t rebounded it as well as he’s capable of as of yet, like what’d he get, one offensive rebound today in 35 minutes or whatever?”

In three exhibitions, Stokes made 26 of 38 free throws. That meant he was getting to the line as frequently as everyone else on his team combined — no surprise there given his ability to absorb contact while driving to the hoop — but only converting about 68% of the time (actually better than the rest of his team, which went 23-for-38).

“I feel like throughout my entire high school career I’ve been able to get to the line a lot, so it’s important to focus in on those,” Stokes said.

Duke head coach Jon Scheyer also highlighted Stokes’ ability in this area, noting that he’ll likely be a vastly different and improved player by the end of the season, and added, “You’re not going to see many guys like him in college with his ability to push, put pressure in the paint. I mean, we fouled him nine times, but he gets a head of steam downhill.”

As for Stokes’ shooting, Self had said in the offseason that if it was really supposed to be a weakness, KU would be in good shape — suggesting it was better than advertised. Despite a smooth stroke, though, he went 2-for-12 from beyond the arc in the three games.

He also averaged seven rebounds across those exhibition contests, but the vast majority of those came on the defensive glass, as Self noted. His development as a rebounder will be particularly pivotal if KU invests a significant number of small lineups like what it played for about three quarters of Saturday’s game, those that feature Stokes at power forward.

Wherever he lines up, it’s clear that even with KU fielding several options at point guard, Stokes will have the ball in his hands quite a bit — and when he does possess it, he’ll be able to do more and more as the year progresses.

“One thing about it, he can force help and he can get the ball to the open man about as well as anybody that I’ve seen at that age,” Self said.

Next up for Stokes and the Jayhawks is the season opener on Monday at 7 p.m. against Fordham.

photo by: AP Photo/Charlie Riedel

Kansas’ Tyran Stokes (4) shoots under pressure from Cameron Williams (14) during the first half of an exhibition NCAA college basketball game Sunday, Oct. 25, 2026, in Lawrence.