Eric Dailey Jr's. improved play is helping the Bruins offense

Eric Dailey Jr. has been playing really good basketball for the Bruins over the last five games. Averaging 15 points and close to eight rebounds per game giving the Bruins an extra boost on offense. Dailey Jr. Has battled inconsistency for quite a bit of this season but remains an integral part of how far UCLA goes in the NCAA tournament. He can be a very good offensive player and rebounder when he is locked in. As a smooth and lanky wing, he has the perfect mold to be an NBA type player with his abilities.

Dailey Jr. can handle the ball very well and moves with fluid strides. Making him a prototypical type wing player that can have a big impact on an offense. This was seen as a breakout season for him as he moved back to his normal small forward position. After in the 2024 season, he played a position up at power forward. Which he did not look 100% comfortable at and used more of his energy than he needed to on the defensive end. Now this season he has shown glimpses but also games where he has disappeared.

The last five game stretch is how UCLA will need him to continue to play. With a big matchup against Purdue on deck today. Another 15+ point effort would go a long way in UCLA pulling off another upset and heading to the Big Ten championship game. Especially with Tyler Bilodeau possibly out due to injury, everyone will need to elevate their games to pick up the extra 18+ points being lost there. Dailey Jr. is more than capable of doing that with his recent play. He will also need to help out on the rebounding to help with UCLA’s size disadvantage.

It remains to be seen if Dailey Jr. will come back for another season at UCLA next year. He currently is a junior, so he does have one more year of eligibility left. Although he does have NBA potential with his size and ability to pace the floor as a wing. It could be very beneficial for him to come back for one more season and out up larger numbers. As UCLA is expected to lose quite a few players due to graduation. But that is a talk for another day as UCLA looks to win the Big Ten tournament and peak at the right time into March Madness.