STILLWATER, Okla. — As Nicolas Timberlake remembers it, the buzz around Johnny Furphy began back in August when the Kansas basketball team was on its trip to Puerto Rico.

Head coach Bill Self told them they were bringing in another player, Timberlake explained. From there, the graduate senior guard said they started to see highlights of Furphy on social media. Excitement built around the incoming freshman guard because they knew Furphy was 6-foot-9 and capable of playing on the wing, even playing positions one-through-four if Furphy wanted.

Junior forward KJ Adams Jr. remembers seeing Furphy’s crazy dunks on Instagram. Adams remembers seeing a lot of athletic plays. All of it has come to pass amid Furphy’s first season at the college level.

But what Adams didn’t know, is that Furphy could shoot the ball. Adams didn’t anticipate a night like Tuesday, when Furphy tied a career-high of 15 points while shooting 3-for-4 from behind the arc. And it’s played into why Furphy, who helped the No. 4 Jayhawks to a 90-66 win at Oklahoma State, has continued to receive praise from teammates amid his return to the starting lineup in Big 12 Conference play.

“I think he’s like a young Franz (Wagner), honestly,” said senior center Hunter Dickinson, who joined Kansas as a transfer from Michigan ahead of the season. “I played with Franz Wagner. But he reminds me — I mean, not just because he’s foreign, that does have something to do with it. But also just, I think his potential and his ability to become a really good defender if he keeps buying into it. He’s probably a little bit better of a shooter than Franz was at this stage, but he’s got a lot of potential and he can be really good for us now and then obviously his best years of basketball are ahead of him for sure.”

In addition to his 15 points, while shooting 5-for-6 from the field, 3-for-4 from behind the arc and 2-for-2 from the free-throw line, Furphy finished with a stat-line that included seven rebounds, two assists and a couple of blocks. He didn’t turn the ball over. Through the two games he’s been in the starting lineup again he’s been the early spark Kansas has been looking for from its fifth starter.

The Jayhawks (15-2, 3-1 in Big 12) have a core four in their starting lineup that can take them far. Dickinson, Adams, redshirt senior guard Dajuan Harris Jr. and graduate senior guard Kevin McCullar Jr. all had their moments against the Cowboys that helped deliver a crushing victory on the road. But Furphy adds another element that wasn’t always there with freshman guard Elmarko Jackson starting, and by extension it’s appeared that Jackson has been more comfortable coming off of the bench as well.

Furphy, of course, has started to feel more comfortable on the court as he’s taken on this new responsibility. He believes he knows his role, and is trying to execute that as best as possible. That role, is defending, getting out in transition and rebounding — especially on offense.

“He looked like a pro out there,” Self said about Furphy. “In the first half, he was aggressive. He plays above the rim in transition, blocking shots, rebounding and then just jumping up and making shots. He was really good that first half.”

When Self mentions Furphy looking like a pro, he’s not anointing Furphy as ready for that level of basketball just yet. When a reporter posed a question to Self postgame that compared Furphy to Wagner — not a young Wagner, but just the Wagner who was a top-10 pick in the 2021 NBA draft and is on the Orlando Magic — Self said that’s getting a little carried away. But it’s clear Furphy is on the right track.

Right now, Furphy is averaging 14.9 minutes per game with three starts in 16 appearances. He’s averaging 6.3 points and 2.9 rebounds per game, while shooting 50% from the field and 38% from behind the arc. And according to Self, the guys on the team just like playing with him.

“He’s really bright, and his length defensively — even though people try to take advantage of him in some ways — but his length defensively gives people problems,” Self said about Furphy.“I mean, he had a couple of blocked shots tonight and he’s a terrific offensive rebounder.”

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Jordan Guskey covers University of Kansas Athletics at The Topeka Capital-Journal. He is the National Sports Media Association’s sportswriter of the year for the state of Kansas for 2022. Contact him at jmguskey@gannett.com or on Twitter at @JordanGuskey.

This article originally appeared on Topeka Capital-Journal: Kansas basketball: Is freshman Johnny Furphy a young Franz Wagner?