The arrival of a new season brings many fresh faces – especially in the modern era of name, image and likeness and the transfer portal. Nine of the Bruins’ 17 players are in their first year under Mick Cronin as the sixth-year head coach aims for a return to the NCAA Tournament. Daily Bruin reporter Matthew Niiya breaks down UCLA men’s basketball’s roster as play opens up for the 2024-2025 campaign.

Guards

Just one starter has retained his job from last year’s middling campaign, which saw the Bruins finish under .500 for the first time in eight years.

Dylan Andrews will be tasked with implementing Cronin’s offense as the sole returner to the starting five.

The junior guard played in and started all but one game last year and led UCLA in minutes, points and assists per game. Andrews, however, had difficulties finding his stroke at times – posting just a 39.5% mark from the field and a 32.4% clip from deep.

Despite early inconsistencies, the Gardena, California, local stabilized his play to close out the season – hitting double-digits in 13 of his last 14 contests.

Operating alongside him in the backcourt will often be Skyy Clark. A fellow junior guard, Clark is onto his third school in as many years – coming from Louisville after initially starting out at Illinois.

The Los Angeles local returned home after leading the Cardinals in points per game and posting a career-high 36 points in his final game against North Carolina State – a team that went on to reach the Final Four.

Backing the duo up will primarily be Trent Perry and Sebastian Mack.

Perry opted to join the Bruins after former coach Andy Enfield departed USC for SMU. The freshman guard was a four-star recruit and racked up awards throughout his high school tenure – being named the Gatorade California Player of the Year and a McDonald’s All-American in his senior year.

Despite lacking experience at the collegiate level, Perry has quickly adapted and carved out a role with UCLA, earning 23 minutes in the contest against New Mexico and 20 against Boston University.

Mack, on the other hand, has plenty of experience despite being in just his second season. The sophomore guard started 30 of 33 games last year as a true freshman but struggled to connect from the field.

He frequently drove to the basket and got to the free throw line – averaging 5.2 attempts per contest – but it came at the expense of 1.6 turnovers per game and frequent wild shot attempts near the rim.

The Bruins also brought in Dominick Harris – a 3-point specialist from Loyola Marymount.

The redshirt senior guard knocked down an impressive 44.8% of his shots from beyond the arc – third best in the nation – on six attempts per game.

However, until he makes strides on defense, Cronin is unlikely to give him big minutes in meaningful contests.

Freshman guard Eric Freeny, a four-star recruit, plans to redshirt this year, while fellow freshman guard Christian Horry – son of seven-time NBA champion Robert Horry – walked on but is unlikely to see much playing time.

Redshirt sophomore guard Jack Seidler rounds out the group but won’t see action on the court barring the final minutes of blowouts.

Wings

Although the wings may be few in number, they make up for it with experience.

Senior guard Kobe Johnson was given Pac-12 All-Defensive Team honors twice in his two seasons as a full-time starter at USC. He averaged more than two steals per game in those seasons but has big shoes to fill at UCLA.

The Bruins have churned out back-to-back Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year award winners in Jaylen Clark and Adem Bona.

While the days of the Pac-12 may be over, Cronin will still expect dominance on the defensive end – where Johnson is expected to be in the Defensive Player of the Year conversations.

Offensively, Johnson may not be a top scoring threat but is still dangerous with the ball in his hands. Cronin has described him as the team’s assists leader in practice and praised his ability to spread the ball across the floor.

Supporting Johnson is fellow senior guard Lazar Stefanovic.

Despite being new to the team last season – transferring in after two years at Utah – the Belgrade, Serbia, local assumed a leadership role on an inexperienced UCLA squad that featured seven freshmen.

Stefanovic started all 33 games for the Bruins and finished fourth in scoring. He also led the squad in rebounds per game and was one of the few players who was efficient beyond the arc, connecting on 38.9% of his threes.

This season, however, will allow Stefanovic fewer minutes, as Johnson’s presence alongside other transfers has pushed him to the bench.

Even though he may be on the court for less time, Stefanovic’s vocal leadership and mentorship are still critical for the Bruins’ success on the court.

Bigs

Bona and Kenneth Nwuba consumed the lion’s share of minutes in the paint last year, while then-freshmen center Aday Mara, guard/forward Brandon Williams, forward Devin Williams and forward Berke Buyuktuncel also rotated down low.

But Cronin often found himself in a pickle – foul trouble and a lack of experience depleted his options.

So, for the new campaign, he knew where to look to reload – the transfer portal.

Through the young season, Cronin’s most valuable pickup appears to be Tyler Bilodeau. The versatile, do-it-all junior forward has been the most potent scoring threat for the Bruins and a force to be reckoned with on the boards.

In just his second game as a member of UCLA, Bilodeau posted 23 points and 15 rebounds – the fourth double-double performance of his career.

Not only can Bilodeau effectively rebound the ball, but he can also spread the floor – adding another dimension that the UCLA offense lacked last year. Despite standing at 6-foot-9, Bilodeau shot a serviceable 34.5% from deep in his final year at Oregon State.

Joining Bilodeau in the starting lineup has been Eric Dailey Jr. – another transfer.

Despite being just a sophomore, the forward brings a healthy amount of experience at the top level of collegiate basketball. As a true freshman, Dailey played in all 32 games for Oklahoma State, earning starting nods in half of those contests.

The IMG Academy graduate averaged 9.3 points per game on nearly 49.6% shooting with the Cowboys, and like Bilodeau, is valuable on the glass.

Dailey posted just under five rebounds per game last season, but Cronin said he believes the entire team rebounds better with him on the floor.

The third and final transfer brought in for work down low was William Kyle III.

The junior forward will likely play off the bench for now but would be in familiar territory if asked to step into a larger role.

Kyle started 49 games across his two seasons as a member of South Dakota State and averaged 13.1 points, 6.6 rebounds and 1.6 blocks in his sophomore campaign.

The Bellevue, Nebraska, local was the second leading scorer on a Jackrabbit squad that won the Summit League regular season and conference tournament titles.

He was the only member of the current Bruin squad to play in the NCAA Tournament last year – putting up 14 points, seven rebounds and four assists in a loss to No. 2-seeded Iowa State.

Mara will likely see fluctuating minutes dependent on matchups. The 7-foot-3 Zaragoza, Spain, local struggled to muscle up against opponents in the paint at times last year but has bulked up to compete on both ends of the court.

Sophomores guard/forward Brandon Williams – who started 14 games last season for UCLA – and forward Devin Williams are likely to redshirt this year because of a lack of playing time available, Cronin said. Redshirt sophomore forward Evan Manjikian is also unlikely to see action on the floor and has been seen with his arm in a sling.

Despite the losses of Bona and Nwuba, the array of new faces should have more than enough talent to do damage in the paint.