Texas basketball projected 2024-25 starting lineup

After landing a portal commitment from former Kansas State Wildcats junior transfer forward Arthur Kaluma last week, the projected rotation for the 2024-25 season for Texas basketball is complete. Kaluma filled the 13th and final scholarship spot for Texas and head coach Rodney Terry entering the inaugural season in the SEC in 2024-25.

Texas basketball could have a top three-caliber starting unit in the SEC in 2024-25

Texas has upgraded the backcourt and wing rotations this offseason with more depth and talent. Terry and staff have completely reshaped and rebuilt the rotation this offseason, with over half of the roster being made up of a new additions from high school recruiting and the transfer portal.

This new-look rotation for the Longhorns entering 2024-25 definitely has the capability of contending for an SEC title and a high single-digit seed in the NCAA Tournament. The Longhorns not only have more proven experience and depth throughout most of the rotation entering the SEC for 2024-25, but they also have more upside and variety in scoring threats on the offensive end.

Here's a projection of the Longhorns starting five after the summer portal cycle wrapped up ahead of the 2024-25 season in a few months.

Point guard: Julian Larry

There will be competition for the Longhorns for the starting point guard spot entering the 2024-25 season. Texas has multiple good options for the title of starting floor general for the upcoming regular season, including Oregon State transfer Jordan Pope and Indiana State transfer Julian Larry.

Terry has pros and cons with each choice for the starting point guard position. Pope's advantage is that he is a more proven scorer and has multiple years of proven starting experience at the one at a power conference school at Oregon State for the last two seasons. Pope was Oregon State's leading scorer and distributor for each of the last two seasons in the Pac-12.

Larry, meanwhile, is the more proven and lengthy defender and the more consistent facilitator and distributor on the offensive end. The 6-foot-3 Larry was third-team MVC All-Defense in 2023-24 after leading the Missouri Valley in steals (59).

Texas needs a smart facilitator who can spread the ball around to all the high-level scorers in the backcourt and on the wing next season. Larry led all MVC guards who played over 1,000 minutes in 2023-24 in assist-to-turnover ratio.

The type of consistent two-way production and reliability Texas can get from Larry is the reason why I would side with starting him in the backcourt over Pope entering the 2024-25 season. He can be a stabilizing force at the outset of the upcoming regular season to help build chemistry and cohesion in the starting lineup.

It's noteworthy that given how many scoring options the Longhorns have in the rotation this upcoming season, starting a true distributor who doesn't mind passing the ball off like Larry makes sense as a starter over a score-first guard like Pope.

I also think it makes sense to give Larry, the guard who led the NCAA in minutes played (nearly 1,300) last season, the start at the one.