Kansas Jayhawks: "Human body naturally slows down in its 4th decade": College hoops fans react to Hunter Dickinson not improving his game as a super senior

"Human body naturally slows down in its 4th decade": College hoops fans react to Hunter Dickinson not improving his game as a super senior

By Lindsey Ware

Modified Feb 10, 2025 18:39 GMT

NCAA Basketball: Iowa State at Kansas - Source: Imagn

Hunter Dickinson is in the fifth year of his college career. The 24-year-old super senior for No. 17 Kansas is averaging the lowest field-goal percentage of his career and the lowest 3-point percentage and scoring average since his freshman season.

A Reddit thread on Monday questioned why Dickinson hasn't improved in the areas that are preventing him from being a top NBA draft prospect.

"Why hasn't Hunter Dickinson improved on his Speed, Athleticism considering those are the flaws that are preventing him from being a top-10 NBA draft pick? Is it difficult for 7'2" players to be fast?" Reddit user r/CollegeBasketball asked.

College hoops fans shared their thoughts and opinions on the center's declining performance. Some used the thread to poke fun at Dickinson or question his skill set.

"The human body naturally slows down in its 4th decade."

"You can tell by the way he moves that he's not spending much time in the gym. He's glided by on his size his entire career."

A comment speculates that Dickinson doesn't spend much time in the gym.

Others pointed out that Dickinson's issues don't come with simple solutions.

"Yes, it's difficult. Becoming a top 10 NBA draft pick isn't a problem with a simple solution."

A Reddit user argues that Dickinson improving his skills won't be easy.

"It's hard to improve speed and athleticism without giving up size and strength, and giving up the strength to improve his speed, might not result in him becoming a better player."

One comment points out the difficulty in improving speed and athleticism.

"1.those things are extremely hard to improve

2. Dickinson cares more about his media perception than his work ethic."

A user argues that Dickinson cares more about his media perception than his work ethic.

Some debated if the question asked by r/CollegeBasketball was even a serious one.

"Can’t tell if this is serious or."

One comment questions if the Reddit post is serious.

"Is this serious or sarcasm? I honestly can't tell the difference. Of course is tough for a 7 foot, 250 lbs person to play fast."

Another commenter questions the seriousness of the Reddit post.

Hunter Dickinson's career & super senior season

The 2024-25 season is Dickinson's second at Kansas after spending the first three seasons of his college career at Michigan. The center has served as a consistent starter for the entirety of these five seasons and helped guide the Wolverines to NCAA Tournament appearances in both 2021 and 2022, with the team making it as far as the Elite Eight in 2021.

After joining the Jayhawks for the 2023-24 season, Dickinson again aided his team on the road to a tournament bid, and Kansas made it to the Round of 32. The star center saw improvement in his average rebounds and assists per game in his first year with Kansas but has declined in both categories this season.

As a super senior, Dickinson has continued to serve as a starter but is not the contributor to the ranked program that he once was. College hoops fans on Reddit and beyond question the causes of his decline and what his possible professional player future will look like.

About the author

Lindsey Ware is a college sports journalist at Sportskeeda with over five years of experience working with publications such as The News & Observer, The Daily Tar Heel, Triangle Tribune and Cardiac Cane. She has also worked for Major League Baseball, The Holly Springs Salamanders, The Tri-City Chili Peppers, Tuffy Talk, Super Meteors Basketball, Just Good Network and Living Sport.

Lindsey has a Bachelor’s Degree in Media and Journalism from UNC Chapel Hill. Her education allowed Lindsey to gain experience in sports communication, which she honed in internships. Other than being a storyteller and sports fanatic, Lindsey is also a social media and marketing specialist.

Her favorite college team is UNC, although she grew up a N.C. State fan as both of her parents are Wolfpack alumni. Michael Jordan was a huge deal in North Carolina when Lindsey was growing up, and after a summer spent at UNC’s Sports Journalism Camp back in high school, Lindsey was set on being a Tar Heel.

Lindsey's favorite college coach of all time is Roy Williams. During her time attending UNC Chapel Hill and writing for The Daily Tar Heel, Lindsey was lucky enough to meet and speak with Williams a few times. He was like a celebrity on UNC’s campus and was beloved for his coaching style and success with the Tar Heels, accumulating three NCAA championship titles in 18 years.

When not watching or writing about sports, Lindsey enjoys reading, trying new restaurants and coffee shops, and spending time with my friends, family and dog. She also likes to journal, watch movies and paint.

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Edited by Joseph Schiefelbein