3 Texas basketball players that would benefit from Tyrese Hunter

Timmy Allen, F

The Longhorns big man that I feel would ultimately be the biggest benefactor from the addition of Hunter would be the former Utah Utes transfer and returning super senior forward Timmy Allen.

There might not be a more important upperclassman returning for Beard and the Longhorns for next season than Allen. He is the type of player that can set the tone for this team and continue to instill the toughness that Beard wants in the very bedrock of the foundation of this program.

Yet, there is something about the possibility of Allen and Hunter playing together in the same starting unit that just sounds special for the Longhorns. There are a couple of reasons for that.

First off, Allen would be able to have more freedom and space to just go to work banging bodies in the paint on the offensive end of the floor if Hunter is drawing attention around the perimeter. There were multiple occasions down the stretch last season when opposing defenses were able to clamp down on Allen down low due to the fact that Carr, Courtney Ramey, etc., were cold shooting from the field.

In those moments, opposing defenders weren’t respecting Carr and/or Ramey as threats with the ball in their hands. That put more pressure on Allen to spark the offense with his inside scoring.

But Allen would be able to score at a more efficient clip with Hunter’s facilitating and overall bucket-getting ability in the mix next season.

Another reason why the addition of Hunter could greatly benefit Allen actually plays off what we were just talking about. The ability of Hunter to create more space and freedom for Allen to go to work down low would also mean he has to exert less energy to get his buckets.

That gives Allen more confidence and energy that he will have plenty left in the tank to hit the glass hard and bring that gritty defensive presence to the table that he’s known for. This would be the area he would benefit most from with Hunter in the mix on defense.