Texas Basketball: 3 most important returning players so far this offseason

Dylan Disu, PF

Among the returning Longhorns players this year that could fly a bit under-the-radar, but still holds a tremendous level of importance to this frontcourt unit, is the former Vanderbilt Commodores transfer power forward and rising senior Dylan Disu. Texas got one of their bigger additions out of the transfer portal last offseason in Disu, but he definitely hasn’t come close to reaching peak efficiency yet.

Disu was clearly still hampered by the ACL injury he suffered a little more than a year ago with the Commodores. It still looks like he’s regaining the athleticism he had prior to the knee injury two seasons ago.

But Disu definitely started looking more and more comfortable with the Longhorns as Big 12 play moved along last season. Disu faced a rough stretch at the outset of Big 12 play but started to regain his form on both ends of the floor near the end of the season. One example of that is the fact that Disu averaged four blocks per 36 minutes in the last four games he played last season.

If Disu is able to continue to work his way back to some version of the power forward he was at the outset of the 2020-21 season with Vanderbilt, Texas is going to have a really versatile weapon to utilize in their frontcourt unit. Disu was an extremely versatile and efficient two-way big man prior to the knee injury he suffered in early 2021.

Prior to the knee injury, Disu was very effective in spacing the floor, rebounding on both ends of the floor, protecting the rim, and he was really improving in his ability to get score through contact and get to the charity stripe. The way Disu’s game was trending in SEC play during the 2020-21 campaign looked as if he was bound to become one of the best bigs in that conference.

If he comes anywhere close to regaining that form next season, Disu will challenge for All-Big 12 honors for the Longhorns.