3 Texas basketball players that would benefit from Tyrese Hunter

Dillon Mitchell, SF

There are two incredibly valuable incoming freshmen that Beard and the Longhorns signed in the 2022 recruiting class. The five-star that Texas added to the backcourt unit, that could compete with Hunter for a starting spot this coming season, is the Dallas-Kimball point guard Arterio Morris.

And the other incredibly valuable five-star that Beard and the Longhorns signed in the 2022 class is the Montverde Academy 6-foot-7 small forward Dillon Mitchell.

Given the fact that Morris might have to compete with Hunter for minutes in the backcourt next season if the former Iowa State stud does commit to the Longhorns this offseason, that leaves Mitchell as the de facto benefactor if this does happen at some point in the near future.

It’s pretty easy to see how Mitchell could reap the rewards of the addition of Hunter with the Longhorns for next season.

First and foremost, Mitchell is the type of wing/forward that lives off his physical gifts and ability to drive the lane and get to the rim. He has good court vision and is a gifted ball-handler for a natural wing/forward.

But Mitchell tends to thrive to a greater degree the more open space he has to work with. He is very smart off-ball on offense and could constantly get open through backdoor cuts and off-ball screens. Hunter’s facilitating ability could help Mitchell score at an even higher level and a more efficient clip.

However, there are two particular areas where the addition of Hunter would help Mitchell more so than anywhere else. Firstly, one of the main weaknesses in Mitchell’s game lies with his outside shooting. Mitchell struggles to hit contested three-pointers.

The space that Hunter creates could allow Mitchell to get in a better rhythm with more time and space to find his shot from beyond the arc.

And the second way that the addition of Hunter could really help Mitchell comes on the defensive end of the floor. Both Hunter and Mitchell are solid on and off-ball defenders. In a world where Texas has a backcourt unit that features super senior Marcus Carr and/or Morris, Mitchell, and Hunter would create opportunities for everyone involved to rake in the defensive stats.

The more depth that the Longhorns have among their perimeter/wing defenders the better. And having two switchable and stout on-ball defenders like Mitchell and Hunter in the starting unit would make for a beneficial situation for each respective player.