After the first season under Chris Beard it was evident that the Longhorns would need a legit big man to help against teams who have larger centers.
As it currently stands, Texas’ biggest player that is best suited to play the role of a big man is 6-foot-7 Christian Bishop. While Bishop is adequate, we saw the Longhorns get exposed by teams like Purdue who had true centers.
Texas was linked to one big man in the portal in Kenneth Lofton Jr. , but after a strong showing at the NBA combine he announced he will stay in the draft.
See y’all June 23. 100% staying into the draft!🙏🏾🏀 https://t.co/35oK7AUe2N
— kenneth lofton jr. (@itzjunior34) May 24, 2022
The big man played so well at the G League Elite Camp that he was one of seven players called up to participate in the NBA combine where he continued to thrive. This now means that Texas has missed out on their two best big man targets, as Utah Valley transfer Fardaws Aimaq announced his plans to transfer to Texas Tech.
While Lofton was undersized for his playing style, he was dominant in the paint at Louisiana Tech averaging 16 points and nine rebounds. He clearly had added more to his game, as at both combines he displayed a three-point shot and more mobility on the defensive side after cutting weight.
There are still a few viable options in the transfer portal, but it was believed that they along with Houston had a great chance at landing Lofton.
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