Texas Basketball: 3 biggest disappointments through 13 games

2) Disappointing Texas basketball players through first 13

Gerald Liddell, Forward

As one of two Longhorns basketball players that put their names in the NCAA Transfer Portal since the start of this season, the former highly touted four-star recruit and junior forward Gerald Liddell still has yet to find his next landing spot. The other Longhorn to put his name in the transfer portal so far this season was the former elite five-star recruit and center Will Baker.

Last month, Longhorns fans saw Baker ultimately land with the Nevada Wolfpack, as he gets to move a bit further away from his hometown of Austin, TX.

Moreover, Liddell looked like he might be able to become one of the more integral parts of Smart’s forward rotation early this season. With a healthier Liddell set to provide more depth in the frontcourt rotation in general for the Longhorns, there was a lot more optimism about where his production and role with this team could be headed in his third season on the Forty Acres.

That is not what ultimately ended up happening, and with the senior small forward Jase Febres returning to the rotation this week, the Longhorns really have more depth in this spot. Losing Liddell is definitely no reason to panic for the Longhorns, but it was something to note moving forward.

In seven games played with Texas this season (none of which he started in) prior to putting his name in the transfer portal, Liddell averaged 2.1 points per game, 1.7 rebounds, 0.4 assists, 0.1 steals, 0.1 blocks, and 1.0 turnovers. And he shot 42.9 percent from the field, 28.6 percent from beyond the arc, and 16.7 percent from the free-throw line. He wasn’t too productive or efficient for Texas when he was still in the rotation early this season.