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UCLA Basketball: Bryce Alford Could Be The Best Shooting Guard in the Nation

By Mike Regalado

Jan 9, 2016; Los Angeles, CA, USA; UCLA Bruins guard Bryce Alford (20) shoots against the Arizona State Sun Devils during the second half at Pauley Pavilion. Mandatory Credit: Jake Roth-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 9, 2016; Los Angeles, CA, USA; UCLA Bruins guard Bryce Alford (20) shoots against the Arizona State Sun Devils during the second half at Pauley Pavilion. Mandatory Credit: Jake Roth-USA TODAY Sports /
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Going into his senior season with the UCLA Basketball team, guard Bryce Alford could be one of the best shooting guards in the nation. Sorry, THE best shooting guard.

Yes, this is a bold statement and yes, I truly believe it. Watching Bryce Alford of UCLA basketball for the last several years, I have noticed a few things, the little nuances, patterns.

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Watching the specific behaviors of individual players gives a glimpse of the future and sometimes you can see their potential. In watching the development of Alford, I truly believe he can be a superstar shooting guard. Alford can be the next Steph Curry. Yeah, I went there.

OK, realistically, no one can be Curry. He was “the man” at Davidson and with the Golden State Warriors. His importance to the team cannot be understated, and that is where I compare Alford to Curry.

Alford is a veteran, he is a scorer, a passer, a leader, but overall, now he has help which will allow him to flourish individually. If he does that, he could be the best shooter in the nation, but first a few things have to change.

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Alford needs to stick to the role of shooting guard and focus on his development as such. The last two years, Alford has essentially been a shoot-first point guard, which has both benefited and crippled the Bruins throughout last season.

We saw how he could get the Bruins going at times, but he would also have stretches of trying to do too much and forcing the plays.  It’s admirable that he would want to take on several roles, but now he doesn’t have to.

With Lonzo Ball coming in to take over at point guard, and the Bruins already deep at the position with Aaron Holiday behind him, it is in Alford’s best interest to develop as a shooting guard.

If Alford is aiming for the NBA after college, he needs to hone his skills as a shooter because he will most likely not be taken as a point guard in the pros.

Though he will have the talents to play PG, his particular skill set is best suited at the 2 spot. Alford can be very, very deadly which is why I make the outlandish statement that Alford can be the best shooting guard in the NCAA.

How does this happen? With Ball at the 1, Alford will be more available to move around and try to come off screens to create his own shot. Not having to worry about distributing the ball will allow him to focus more on his game.

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If Alford can find his niche on the team, then he can be the most important player for UCLA Basketball next season. His development, which will be dependent on his father, Head Coach Steve Alford, will be key going in to his final season and he only has so much time to prove that he is NBA-worthy. So why not start by taking the college basketball world by storm in his final season of college?