UCLA looks to see Jaylen Petty's growth for the 2026 season

Jaylen Petty was brought in through the transfer portal by UCLA this offseason. He has seen as a player that has three years of eligibility and can develop with this team. He is expected to come in and provide spacing with his shooting abilities. As he will only continue to get better and better on the offensive end. His volume was very high last year at Texas Tech. He shot 37.5% on 5.6 3-point attempts per game which is phenomenal.

Petty is on the smaller end of being a guard at 6’1 and 168 pounds. So, it is going to be a very intriguing storyline to watch how UCLA utilizes their last two scholarships. A three-guard set is probably too small to run with what they have available right now. They would need to bring in a taller guard/wing to make that happen. There are reports that UCLA has been after star transfer Tounde Yessoufou which would open up a lot more possibilities.

Petty averaged 9.9 points, 3.9 rebounds and 2.2 assists in his only season at Texas Tech. With the make up of this UCLA team now, he will most definitely average in double digits next year. Probably being the second leading scorer behind Trent Perry. His 3-point shooting will slide right in to replace Skyy Clark and he provides two more years of eligibility to go with it. But with this NIL era you never know if a player will enter the transfer portal again.

UCLA’s goal this portal season has been to get younger eligibility wise. If they’re able to keep these players for multiple years, they could create something special. But they most definitely need to go out and get another guy that can be a scoring option. Petty will provide good scoring for this team, but the lack of size that the guard position creates a tough dilemma. The Bruins will need another wing to run with the starters.

Add us as a preferred source on Google

Follow