Why UCLA Basketball Will Be Better Than Expected, A Comparison Of Last Season And This Season’s Rosters

After UCLA basketball’s exit from the NCAA Tournament last spring, Bruin fans were not aware of the exodus that was about to be bestowed upon Bruin basketball. After having the most successful season since 2008, the Bruins were expected to lose point guard Kyle Anderson to the NBA draft as well as David Wear and Travis Wear to graduation. UCLA had also unexpectedly lost the talents of Jordan Adams. Oh yeah, Zach LaVine left too. With UCLA down five players, they were additionally denied the services of freshman Jonah Bolden (due to eligibility) and transfer Jon Octeus (admission denied). It looked pretty bleak for the Bruins but after learning about the team and seeing what they did in their first two games, I have a different opinion as they will be better than expected.

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The Bruins do not have a lot of experience with the small core that returns from last season. Bryce Alford, Norman Powell and Tony Parker were the only Bruins to play a decent amount of minutes last year with Noah Allen and Wanaah Bail making appearances here and there. Not exactly a NCAA Tournament caliber team, but not necessarily bad enough for the NIT, especially when you mix in the talent they have helping out this year.

Kevon Looney is a scoring and rebounding machine that is already contributing to the Bruins with 23 rebounds in the first two games. Thomas Welsh has improved exponentially since he was first recruited by UCLA and will be huge (no pun intended) on the boards and as we saw on Friday, he was an effective low-post presence. Isaac Hamilton has done very well handling the point and is effective as a scorer as he has gotten in double digits in the first two games. But how good is this team really?

To find out, let us match-up last year’s team with this season’s.

Kyle Anderson – Jordan Adams – Norman Powell – David Wear – Travis Wear

vs.

Isaac Hamilton – Bryce Alford – Norman Powell – Kevon Looney – Tony Parker

Both teams are definitely more talented on different sides of the court, but how do they match-up individually?

January 5, 2014; Los Angeles, CA, USA; UCLA Bruins guard/forward Kyle Anderson (5) moves the ball up court against the Southern California Trojans during the second half at Pauley Pavilion. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

Kyle Anderson vs. Isaac Hamilton – Advantage: Anderson

Anderson did everything for the Bruins. He ran the point, scored, rebounded, blocked shots, you name it, he could do it. Because of that, he took his talents to the next level and should do very well in his career. Though Hamilton will share the point with Bryce Alford, Hamilton is clearly the more athletic specimen (which is why he is matched with Anderson here). Hamilton is very good with then ball and can score from almost anywhere on the court, but he does not have the skill set or the height of Anderson. That does not mean Hamilton is a step down but I do believe he will surprise us several times throughout the season.

Jordan Adams vs. Bryce Alford – Advantage: Adams

Adams was killer for UCLA when he had open shots. The team’s leading scorer from a year ago had gone back and forth with his decision to stay or go to the NBA, but ultimately, he made the right decision. On top of being a great shooter, he was also a surprising defensive player as he lead the team and the Pac-12 in steals. Alford is also a great shooter and will be lights out, but he has the knack to disappear on the defensive end. Alford’s advantage is that his shot is looking better than last year and he can see the floor better than most. And although he is looking to be a very prominent distributor, the nod goes to Adams.

Nov 14, 2014; Los Angeles, CA, USA; UCLA Bruins guard Norman Powell (4) reacts after a dunk in the first half against the Montana State Bobcats at Pauley Pavilion. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports

2013-14 Norman Powell vs. 2014-15 Norman Powell – Advantage: 2014-15 Powell

Really? Who would you rather have? Norman Powell in his first year of freedom playing in an up-tempo system or Norman Powell in his second year of freedom playing in an up-tempo system? Last year, head coach Steve Alford saw what Powell could do and “freed the beast” so to speak and let Powell play the game that he was able to. What resulted was Sports Center Top 10 highlight dunks game after game. Now imagine what Powell will do as the go-to guy… so far, he is averaging 19 points a game as he has embraced that role. Well, it look s like UCLA will be going to him a little more.

David Wear vs. Kevon Looney – Advantage: Looney

I love the Wear Twins, but the only thing they had going for them was height, smarts and a sweet outside shot. Looney has those and rebounding abilities, strength, guard-like ball handling skills, athleticism… I could go on. This is not a comparison to knock the Wears, but Looney has the complete package.

Travis Wear vs. Tony Parker – Advantage: Parker

Travis Wear showed he had a lot of grit toward the end of last season, but he also got muscled out down below. That will not be a problem for Parker as he looks to have an even better year with help down low. Wear was a fantastic outside shooter and played some of the best basketball of his life in last season’s post-season, he was just not a banger. Parker, with his big body, is showing that he can get inside and disrupt the opposition. Already he is averaging 11 points and 8.5 rebounds per game.

2013-14 Bench vs. 2014-15 Bench

Tony Parker – Bryce Alford – Zach LaVine – Noah Allen – Wanaah Bail

Vs.

Thomas Welsh – Wanaah Bail – Noah Allen – Gyorgy Goloman

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First things first, Bail and Allen are getting a lot more minutes and with that they will get experience in this system a lot quicker than last season’s bench could. So far they look comfortable, though not totally confident, but also have had some excellent stretches in the first two games. Welsh is a player that will have several great games in his career, with many of those this season. Against Montana State he had an incredible second half scoring 12 of his 14 points and though he only had 4 against Coastal Carolina, Welsh disrupted a lot of the inside game.

Compare that to last season’s bench and you have a world of difference. Parker was the only player that could effectively change the course of a game. Both Alford and LaVine were a good combo off the bench, but they became ineffective when LaVine disappeared in the second half of the season. So for this comparison, I say “Advatage: 2014-15 Bench”.

With that, I conclude that this team we see before us, will be better than last season’s. It is a stretch, but a very valid one.

Go Bruins!