Texas Basketball: Grading each Horns portal addition so far this offseason
Chendall Weaver, G
Among the guards/wings that have entered the portal during the spring transfer window, one of the best sharpshooters without a doubt is the former UT-Arlington Mavericks freshman guard Chendall Weaver. The 6-foot-3 and 165-pound Weaver was a huge addition for the Longhorns out of the portal this offseason to add even more floor spacing to an already impressive projected roster of sharpshooters.
With the addition of UTA transfer G Chendall Weaver ahead of the 2023-24 season, Texas will have multiple players that shot better than 40 percent from 3 on the roster for the first time since 2008-09.
— Hook'em Headlines (@HookemHeadlines) May 5, 2023
-Brock Cunningham shot 41.3 3P%
-Chendall Weaver shot 40.2 3P% pic.twitter.com/VmSk6k9vLN
I’ve quoted this stat before, but Texas will now have two returning college players that shot at least 40 percent from deep in the prior season on the same roster for the first time since the late 2000s. Weaver shot 40.2 percent on just over 2.5 attempts per game from deep at UTA last season.
And senior forward Brock Cunningham shot 41.3 percent from beyond the arc last season for the Longhorns on 1.7 attempts per game.
When you take into account some of the other solid three-point shooters that the Longhorns have on the projected roster next season, it’s easy to get excited about the floor-spacing ability of this team. The former Oral Roberts senior transfer guard Max Abmas and Hunter (assuming he returns to Texas next season) are both more than capable floor spacers too.
FINAL | @UTAMavsMBB 70, Sam Houston 58
— The Western Athletic Conference (@WACsports) February 5, 2023
Freshman Chendall Weaver with a solid performance for UTA, netting a game-high 21 points in the win #WAChoops pic.twitter.com/477iDakUBL
However, Weaver is more than just an off-ball scorer from deep. He is a capable secondary playmaker that has an improving mid-range jumper, great court vision, and a surprisingly-good ability to finish through contact in the lane. I’d be remiss if I didn’t talk about Weaver’s rebounding ability either as he was one of the best rebounding guards in the WAC last season, putting up more than 4.5 boards per game.
Weaver also ranked among the top five guards in the WAC last season in terms of free-throw attempt rate (.447). The fact that Weaver was getting to the free-throw line so often as a 165-pound freshman guard was ultra-impressive.
If he can add some weight to his frame in the Texas strength and conditioning program this offseason, he’ll only become a more lethal finisher through contact heading into next season.
All in all, I love what Texas is getting in a player like Weaver that has some switchability between the two or the three (especially in smaller three-guard lineups) that can space the floor at such a high level of efficiency. There is even some NBA upside in a player with Weaver’s skill set if he can fill out his frame more and become a more consistent disruptor on the perimeter on defense.