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UCLA Basketball: Worst case 2018-19 roster scenario after the NBA Draft

By Mike Regalado

SACRAMENTO, CA - MARCH 19: Head coach Steve Alford of the UCLA Bruins watches on against the Cincinnati Bearcats during the second round of the 2017 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at Golden 1 Center on March 19, 2017 in Sacramento, California. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images)
SACRAMENTO, CA - MARCH 19: Head coach Steve Alford of the UCLA Bruins watches on against the Cincinnati Bearcats during the second round of the 2017 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at Golden 1 Center on March 19, 2017 in Sacramento, California. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images) /
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The UCLA basketball team could potentially be without seven players from last season if three young players decided to leave the program for the NBA Draft (or other opportunities).

At the present time, I do not think anybody knows what the UCLA basketball team will look like next season, not even head coach Steve Alford.

RELATED: Is there an ultimatum for Steve Alford?

We already know that Thomas Welsh, Gyorgy Goloman and Ikenna Okwarabizie are leaving the program due to graduation and Aaron Holiday has officially declared and is the only one projected to be taken in the NBA Draft on June 21, 2018.

That unfortunately also includes three freshmen that are “testing the waters”. Jaylen Hands, Kris Wilkes and Cody Riley are exploring their options with the NBA Draft, but have not hired an agent, which means that if they retract their name from the draft, they will be able to return to UCLA.

Related Story: Three Bruins heading to the NBA Combine

But let us say all three leave, whether it is for the draft or some other reason, what will the roster look like. Go Joe Bruin has already explored what the depth chart could look like if everyone returns, but what if everyone doesn’t turn?

UCLA Basketball’s Worst Case 2018-19 Roster Scenario

  • Point Guard: Tyger Campbell (Fr)
  • Shooting Guard: Prince Ali (Jr-R), David Singleton III (Fr), Jules Bernard (Fr)
  • Small Forward: Chris Smith (So)
  • Power Forward: Alex Olesinski (Jr-R), Shareef O’Neal (Fr)
  • Center: Jalen Hill (Fr-R), Moses Brown (Fr), Kenny Nwuba (Fr)

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There is quite a bit of inexperience here and not a lot of depth at some positions. Though many of these players can play multiple positions, it is still a huge concern. The biggest issue is at the 1 spot. If Hands goes, Campbell is the only point guard UCLA will have on the roster. Thats a hard “No Bueno”.

If this is the case, then Alford is going to have Ali, Singleton or Bernard handle backup point guard duty, which is not exactly ideal as the SGs might need to float over to the 3 spot/small forward position to play the wing.

Another option would be to play big since UCLA has five front court players at their disposal. Unfortunately, only one of them has any college experience. Olesinski is the only big man with on the roster with playing time, though he did not produce much while logging 17.9 minutes per game with only 4.5 ppg and 3.9 rebounds.

The Bruins add a lot of talent with their top 5 recruiting class coming in, including Brown, O’Neal, Singleton and Bernard, but talent isn’t always a good substitute for experience.

Next: The UCLA Basketball All-Time Team

Still, we cannot ignore the talent that is coming in. It will definitely be special and should turn some heads. The only thing that is worrisome, is the lack of leadership. If a few Bruins can step up and take the reigns, that will help out the team immensely. Still, this is just a worst case scenario.