UCLA Basketball: Comparing last year’s squad to this year’s

With the UCLA Basketball team in transition, Go Joe Bruin compares last season’s squad to the latest edition as we try to put into perspective which is the better team.

The UCLA Basketball team is once again going through a make over, although unlike last season, the Bruins have a bigger recruiting class, which helps with depth, but are these freshmen better than last year’s?

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Another question that needs to be asked is how good will the Bruins be with fewer veterans? Does UCLA have enough upperclass leadership or will they heavily rely on their youth? Let us find out…

Point Guards

Lonzo Ball vs. Aaron Holiday/Jaylen Hands

It seems like replacing one of the best point guards in recent UCLA history will be hard, but the Bruins have two options that are going to do their very best.

There is no doubt that Ball was a, well, Big Baller. Last season he led the NCAA in assists per game with 7.6, but that was just the tip of the iceberg. Ball also had 14.6 points per game, 6.0 rebounds and 1.8 steals. Ball was an all-around player that was too talented to not jump to the NBA. As you might know, he was a lottery pick for the Los Angeles Lakers in the 2017 NBA Draft where he looks to also turn that team around.

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But that is not our concern as we cover UCLA. Our concern is having the next point guard doing as good of a job (or very close) to what Ball did.

Holiday has experience as a starter and Hands is quite possibly the best “true point guard” Head Coach Steve Alford has landed. Still, this is a no brainer.

Advantage: Lonzo Ball

Shooting Guards

Bryce Alford vs. Aaron Holiday/Jaylen Hands

Bryce Alford was a huge part of the Bruins’ success last season. Though he was forced to move over to the 2 spot because of Ball, Alford thrived in the shooting guard role, as that was his strength. Unfortunately, that was pretty much all he did.

Though Alford is UCLA’s all-time leader in 3-pointers and was the second-highest scorer on the team last season (15.5 ppg), his contributions (or lack thereof) will be overshadowed by the backcourt combo of Holiday and Hands.

With Holiday, you have a scorer, distributor and quite possibly the best defender on the team. Despite coming off the bench, Holiday was the fifth-highest scorer on the Bruins with 12.3 ppg. He was also second on the team behind Ball in both assists (4.4) and steals (1.1).

Hands is also an exceptional scorer, putting up 29.9 ppg at Foothills Christian HS last season. Though he will have to adjust to college, Hands seems to be a bit further along than Alford at this point.

Advantage: Holiday/Hands

Small Forward

Isaac Hamilton vs. Kris Barnes

Isaac Hamilton was the only other Bruin other than Alford to exhaust his eligibility. Though he was not NBA Draft material, he was still a solid contributor to the Bruins. Last season, he showed his prowess as a shooter as he tied a school record 9 3-pointers in a game.

Unfortunately he was not consistent and disappeared in games from time to time. That could change for the Bruins in 2017-18.

Alford has not had luck signing small forwards, but he hit the jackpot during the 2017 recruiting cycle when Indiana native Kris Wilkes declared his allegiance tot he Bruins.

Wilkes has it all. He can shoot, drive, dish, dunk and is not afraid to play defense. His presence will be felt next season and will only add to the high-powered offense UCLA will run.

Advantage: Kris Wilkes

Power Forward

TJ Leaf vs. Cody Riley

Leaf flew under the radar when he got to UCLA, especially with all the attention Ball was getting. Still, it worked to his advantage as Leaf quietly became the Bruins’ leading scorer last season (16.3 ppg).

Leaf had a keen ability to find the basket anywhere on the court. If he was down low, he would use his elusive moves to put the ball in the basket. But he was also deadly from outside and had the best 3-point shooting percentage among all Bruins that played in at least 30 games (.466). Leaf also had the second-best shooting percentage in the Pac-12 (.617).

Replacing that kind of talent will be hard, but UCLA snagged a player that is going to try and do even better.

Riley is a flat out good. At 6’7″, 200 lbs., RIley has no problem getting around the court, whether he is taking an outside shot or powering his way down low, he will be an excellent replacement for Leaf, but he might need some time to do the damage Leaf did.

Advantage: TJ Leaf

Center

2016-17 Thomas Welsh vs. 2017-18 Thomas Welsh

This one is also a no brainer. Having a player at the same position is always a good thing. From having experience to making off-season improvements, Thomas Welsh 4.0 will only benefit the Bruins.

Welsh has been making strides every year he has been in the program. Last season he perfected his baseline, mid-range jumper. At 7’0″, Welsh has no problem shooting over defenders which will make him extra deadly as it has been reported by Ben Bolch of the LA Times that’s Welsh is adding 3-pointers to his repertoire.

Welsh should also continue to be the Bruins’ top rebounder. Last year he led the team with 8.7 rebounds, but also was the leader in blocks with 1.3 blocks.

Welsh contemplated declaring for the NBA Draft, but decided to return to Westwood for his final year. With the team already losing five players,  it was a huge relief when fan favorite “Welshie” stated he was coming back.

Advantage: 2017-18 Thomas Welsh

2016-17 Bench vs 2017-18 Bench

2016-17: Aaron Holiday, Gyorgy Goloman, Ike Anigbogu, Ikenna Okwarabizie

2017-18: Gyorgy Goloman, Prince Ali, Jalen Hill, LiAngelo Ball, Chris Smith, Alex Olesinski, Ikenna Okwarabizie

There are several great factors to having a six-player recruiting class. Other than the fact that the Bruins are bringing in a lot of talent, they are also bringing in a lot of depth and that is going to give the Bruins a very deadly bench.

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Last season, the Bruins were not very deep due to two players leaving before the season (Jonah Bolden and Kobe Parras) and two being injured (Prince Ali and Alex Olesinski). Because of this, they only used three off the bench.

This year, Alford could pick from up to five backups with all the players at his disposal.

Goloman was called on quite a bit and should continue to have a similar role coming off the bench at the PF spot. UCLA also gets the the explosive Ali back. He will give the Bruins good minutes coming off the bench and will be the first choice among the many backup shooters that include LiAngelo Ball and Chris Smith.

UCLA has another exciting freshman who probably would have started if Welsh did not return, though Hill will be a solid weapon anytime he gets in the game. Not only can he score under the rim, but he is a good low post defender, something that he has said that he likes quite a bit. Defense, in any form, is a welcomed sight to this UCLA team.

Advantage: 2017-18 Bench

2016-17 vs. 2017-18 UCLA Basketball

Is it hard to decide which is the better team? Let us go over the results side by side:

BOLD indicates the advantage

I would not put money on either of these teams to flat out win, mostly because they are both very good teams. There is no denying what Ball did for the Bruins, but he is just one guy. Having Leaf on your side helps, but the 2016-17 team did have some weaknesses.

That is not to say that this season’s team will be perfect, because there are a lot of things they need to work on, but having the experience of Holiday, Welsh, Goloman and Ali mixed with the talents of Hands, Wilkes, Riley and Hill will keep the Bruins competitive next year.

In 10 games, I could see both teams winning five, but if I was to pick a team that is truly better, I would give the edge to the team we are about to see in November.

They would win the individual position battles, but the most important thing will be the bench. There is no substitute for a deep and talented bench, no pun intended. Depth is something UCLA has not had a lot of in Alford’s tenure so this embarrassment of riches is only going to payoff for UCLA.

Next: The Top UCLA Basketball Recruiting Classes Since 2000

Call me crazy, but I truly believe the 2017-18 UCLA Basketball team could be better than last year. Like I said, there is still a lot to work on and the Bruins need to grasp their roles, but for the most part, it should be a very exciting team. Showtime has definitely not left Westwood, its is just evolving.