Texas basketball had an excellent season in 2025/2026, making it all the way to the Sweet 16, unfortunately losing by two points to Purdue in March. Though some say that the Longhorns overachieved, if they want to have the same type of success in 2026/2027, three specific players need to perform at a high level all year long.
PG Isaiah Johnson
With how much talent Texas lost in the backcourt this offseason, it's fairly obvious that incoming Colorado transfer PG Isaiah Johnson has to be able to hit the ground running as the lead ball-handler for Sean Miller this year.
Johnson's elite scoring ability and overall athleticism could go a long way in making up for the productivity lost by Tramon Mark, Jordan Pope, and Simeon Wilcher's departure. It goes without saying that if the Longhorns are going to be a functional team in 2026, Johnson's going to be a massive part of it.
CG Mikey Lewis
Slightly smaller but in the same mold as Tramon Mark, Lewis is very deadly off-ball on offense. He's never been an elite athlete, but he has an uncanny ability to find open bubbles and blind spots in the defense. He has excellent court vision and has a great feel for the game when it comes to being a perimeter player.
He has experience at both guard spots and can be effective when tasked with hitting open-3's and/or driving to the basket. One of his most impressive but lesser-known talents is his free-throw shooting. He made close to 90% of his foul shots in 2025/2026, and he knows how to draw lots of fouls on a fairly consistent basis. There were a couple of games last season for Saint Mary's when it was obvious that they were relying on Lewis to attack and draw fouls, just racking up free points in crucial situations.
Sean Miller relies heavily on his guard play, so, like Johnson's situation, Lewis needs to be ready for a heavy workload from day one. If he can't produce in 2026, things could get really bad for the Longhorns' offense.
PF David Punch
Texas' highest-ranked incoming transfer this year, Punch is an absolute monster in the paint despite "only" being 6'7". He's an astronomically efficient scorer in the paint, being able to maneuver around and shoot over players much taller than him.
He was one of the best power forwards in the Big 12 last season, and his gritty play style is exactly the type of thing that the Longhorns need in combination with Matas Vokietaitis in 2026. The coaching staff was ecstatic when Punch committed, and he'll likely be counted on inside to help free up Vokietaitis in crucial spots on offense.
Though Punch is much more of a "for sure" thing than Johnson and Lewis, he still needs to live up to his hype next season.
Add us as a preferred source on Google