The first time freshman forward Adem Bona watched junior guard Jaylen Clark in action was at Stanford’s Maples Pavilion.

“Jaylen (Clark) was a defensive specialist. Jaylen was stopping everyone. … I (couldn’t) wait to get on the team and compete with him,” Bona said during a media availability Nov. 9.

On Thursday, the two teammates for No. 21 UCLA men’s basketball (5-2) will again be at Maples Pavilion, this time taking the court together as part of the Bruins’ new-look roster opening up Pac-12 play against Stanford (3-4).

In many respects, the combination of Bona and Clark reflects the anatomy of coach Mick Cronin’s squad this season. For every veteran on the floor, there is likely a freshman counterpart garnering minutes and experience.

With the influx of six new faces, the Bruins are learning how to gel and cement chemistry. Still, the blue and gold has commenced its 2022-2023 campaign with the best shooting percentage through its first seven games since 2016 at 50.4% from the field.

“We have a lot of vets who know what it takes to win, and one of those things is shooting a high percentage,” said fifth-year guard David Singleton. “How do you do that? You share the ball. Keep moving the ball. We trust our guys.”

Cronin, senior guard/forward Jaime Jaquez Jr. and freshman guard Amari Bailey all stressed ball movement and unselfishness as the keys to achieving the above 50% mark from the field.

The fourth-year UCLA coach provided an example of just that against Bellarmine on Sunday, in which Singleton made an immediate extra pass to Bailey, who capitalized on his athleticism and beat his defender to the rim for the two points.

“Dave (Singleton) caught it, and it barely hit his hands, and he threw it to Amari (Bailey), which allowed Amari to attack and close out,” Cronin said after UCLA’s win over Bellarmine on Sunday. “If Dave holds that ball for a half a second, the kid closes out. Amari can’t blow by his guy.”

When the script is flipped, and Bailey finds himself in a position to make the extra pass, he said he doesn’t hesitate. The No. 7 recruit in the nation out of Sierra Canyon School knows being unselfish with the ball pays dividends for the entire team.

“I enjoy my teammates’ successes more than mine, so that’s really where that stems from,” Bailey said. “If I wanted to be glorified for my individual play, I would go do swim or tennis.”

Four-year starter Jaquez provided some reasoning for why motion on offense generates better looks and more chances. The forward/guard credited defense, a hallmark of Cronin’s Westwood program, as a way to collect easy points off turnovers.

Through seven games, the Bruins are forcing 17.1 turnovers per game and reaping 22 points per contest off those takeaways.

“I don’t think we’re necessarily shooting for percentage,” Jaquez said. “But we know that when we move the ball, we get great shots, … and you play great defense, you get layups. Layups are how you shoot a high percentage.”

For Bailey – who’s averaging 10.3 points per game following a breakout 19-point performance on 7-of-12 shooting versus Pepperdine last week – the assignment on the other end of the floor is crystal clear.

“You don’t play defense, you won’t play here,” Bailey said.

On offense and defense, with new players and old, the blue and gold is piecing together a team readying for its first December one-off road conference game.

Combinations of Bona and Clark, Bailey and Singleton – along with leadership from Jaquez and redshirt senior guard Tyger Campbell – will soon put their preparation to the test in Maples Pavilion.