Texas Basketball: 3 must-get portal priorities for the Longhorns in May
David Jones, SF*
One of the biggest positions of need remaining for Terry and the Longhorns to address in the portal this offseason is on the wing. Texas needs to find a starting-caliber wing after it lost the commitments of Johnson and Holland last month and after key departures such as senior forward Timmy Allen and senior shooting guard/wing Sir’Jabari Rice.
That’s why I added a player to the list such as the former St. John’s Red Storm and DePaul Blue Demons 6-foot-6 and 195-pound junior small forward David Jones. The experienced wing is a gifted athlete, a solid defender, and a reliable secondary playmaker.
Jones could be the type of slashing wing that the Longhorns need to add some two-way grit and athleticism to the starting lineup heading into next season.
He’s proven to be a good defender, ranking among the top five wings in the Big East in each of the last two seasons in defensive rating. And more than 50 percent of Jones’ field goal attempts in the last two seasons at St. John’s and DePaul came at the rim or in the paint, so he’s clearly comfortable with getting his looks near the basket.
The only concern I would have with adding a player such as Jones is the number of touches he would want to get. Jones led the Big East in usage rate at a clip north of 28 percent last season. Given that Texas already has some effective playmakers and efficient shooters from multiple areas of the floor on the projected roster next season (i.e. Abmas, Shedrick, and Dylan Disu), it could create a logjam if Jones hypothetically played the same style he did at St. John’s last season.
Predicting Texas' next transfer addition after Max Abmas. dark. Next
I’m not necessarily advocating for Texas to go after Jones in the portal to fill its depth need on the wing, in particular. Granted, he would bring a valuable two-way skill set to the table with plenty of proven experience under his belt.
Some other names to watch among wings that Texas could add that are available in the portal are the former USC Trojans freshman Tre White, UMass Minutemen freshman RJ Luis, and Florida State Seminoles sophomore Matthew Cleveland.