Who Can Be UCLA's Closer This Season?

After a ranking as the 20th-best team in the country last year, Mick Cronin and the UCLA Bruins are on their way to building a contender.

UCLA was among the best defensive teams in the country, with the thought that defense wins championships.

The only problem is, there was very little offensive flair to come around.

The Bruins get back their elite frontcourt in Tyler Bilodeau and Eric Dailey, but their guard play was awfully underwhelming.

In comes Donovan Dent, the transfer from New Mexico.

Dent was one of the more electric players in college basketball, with excellent vision, the ability to draw fouls, and an insatiable scoring appetite.

Now he enters Westwood as UCLA’s most prolific scorer, coming off a career-high 20.4 points per game with the Lobos.

Per KenPom, the Bruins were ranked 37th in offensive adjusted efficiency, which is solid, but unremarkable. Their shot profile was consistently middle of the pack, whether it be 2-point or 3-point shots, and they were ranked near the bottom in free throw percentage.

Adding Dent, along with Kansas City transfer Jamar Brown, unlocks UCLA’s full potential as an offensive powerhouse.

It’s something that the Bruins have missed, and their lack of 3-point shooting was a main reason as to why they fell to Tennessee in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.

While Dent doesn’t specialize in 3-point shooting, UCLA has worked to build space creators around him. He’s a floor spacer, has superior ball handling, and attracts defenders like a magnet, so much so that there will have to be someone ready and willing to catch and shoot from the perimeter.

Not only that, the Bruins have needed a closer for the end of games and Dent fits the profile to a tee.

He’s familiar with the clutch moments and can get to the free-throw line at any given moment.

Before he arrived, UCLA hadn’t had an elite scorer since Jaime Jaquez. Now, as it adds an elite scorer and playmaker like Dent, ESPN projects them as a top-10 team in their “way-too-early” rankings.

Will it reach that potential? That’s why it’s a way-too-early projection. However, given the upward trajectory of this program, and not really losing anyone significant to either the NBA Draft or the transfer portal, it may not be out of the question.

With Dent as UCLA’s lead guard, he may just be the engine to help catapult the Bruins into a powerhouse once again.