Texas basketball PF Dylan Disu showing increased confidence in 2022

One of the more experienced returning players for head coach Chris Beard and the Texas basketball program this offseason is the former Vanderbilt Commodores standout power forward Dylan Disu. As a notable addition for Texas last offseason out of the NCAA Transfer Portal, the now rising senior big man Disu was figured to be a big part of the frontcourt rotation last season.

Yet, there were still some challenges that Disu faced last season as he tried to get back to form following a devastating knee injury nearly two years ago. Disu did show bits and pieces of his old as last season moved along, but he wasn’t the same player we saw during the 2020-21 campaign on a consistent basis.

Disu had some issues last season with his outside shooting, rim protection, and rebounding, which were all strengths in his game during his two seasons at Vanderbilt.

Granted, Disu did start to show more flashes of his older self down the stretch last season. He also wound up posting career highs in rebounding percentage (18.1), block percentage (9.0), and defensive box plus/minus (4.9).

Those advanced metrics would give the indication that Disu could be a difference-maker for Beard and the Longhorns potentially with more minutes each game for the 2022-23 season. Disu saw his playing time per night cut by more than half last season compared to the 2020-21 campaign. He went from playing a little more than 31 minutes per game for Vanderbilt a couple seasons ago to just over 10 off the bench for Texas during the 2021-22 campaign.

But the fact of the matter is that Texas will need Disu’s rebounding and rim protection in the frontcourt unit next season more so than during the 2021-22 campaign. Disu is likely going to at least get 15-20 minutes on the floor per game, which could nearly double his playing time compared to last season.

And the good news here is that Disu is starting to look more like his old self in workouts this offseason. Some recent videos posted on the Texas men’s basketball Twitter page put the insane hops and dunking ability that Disu possesses on display in workouts.

Texas basketball seeing a more confident version of Dylan Disu on display this summer

That bounce from Disu is not something that we saw from him for most of last season. This obviously is a good sign that Disu is confident and healthy enough to be throwing down dunks in workouts as he is recently this offseason.

A report from Inside Texas (paid content) on July 10 updating the status of the Longhorns basketball team mentioned that Disu is also looking like one of the more improved players so far this offseason. Disu is reportedly looking a lot more confident, and thus we could see a version of him that was closer to what he brought to the table for Vanderbilt a couple of years ago.

We can’t overstate how important it would be for the Longhorns to have a more capable threat shooting from deep along with an improved rim protector and rebounder in Disu this season compared to last. When he’s playing at 100 percent, Disu is likely the most versatile and gifted big man in this frontcourt unit for the Longhorns.

Texas finished up last season with a record of 22-12 (10-8 Big 12), with the campaign coming to an end in the Round of 32 following a loss to the three-seed Purdue Boilermakers. Disu and the Longhorns are set to open up the 2022-23 regular season on Nov. 7 against the UTEP Miners.