Texas Basketball: 3 players already exceeding expectations this season

Christian Bishop, F

Two of the most important additions for Beard and the Longhorns out of the NCAA Transfer Portal out of the gates this season were a pair of standout senior forwards. The first up on this list is the former Creighton Blue Jays junior transfer forward Christian Bishop. Steady improvement throughout Bishop’s college career has landed him in a prominent spot in Texas’ rotation this season.

The numbers might not come in the volume with the Longhorns this season that they did with Creighton in the past few years for Bishop thanks to all the talent and depth around him on the Forty Acres. But Texas has relied on Bishop to be one of the key starters in the frontcourt unit in half of the games so far this season.

You really can’t argue with the production and efficiency that Bishop has brought to the table so far this season. He’s registered a career-best 7.5 box plus/minus (top three on the team), .309 win shares per 40 minutes (top two on the team), and a sparkling 28.9 player efficiency rating (28.9).

For good measure, the best player efficiency rating the Longhorns had from any player on the team last season was senior big man Jericho Sims, at 21.7.

Bishop is rebounding the ball well and actually protecting the rim efficiently when called upon. He’s second on the team with a block percentage north of four. And he’s third on the team with an offensive rebounding percentage of around 12.

The versatility and overall utility that Bishop has brought to the table for the Longhorns so far this season is nothing short of excellent. He’s not the most heavily utilized player in this frontcourt unit, but he’s doing a lot of the dirty work in a proficient manner that can help Texas win games throughout the season. This is something that shouldn’t go unnoticed.