UCLA Basketball: 2021-22 season preview and outlook for Bruins

Bench

UCLA’s roster retention does not just end with the starting lineup but instead trickles down to the bench, where – again, with the exception of Jalen Hill, who played 14 games off the bench – every single Bruin who saw action last year will return.

The most significant contributors among those are David Singleton, Jake Kyman, Mac Etienne, and Jaylen Clark – all four of whom averaged nine minutes per game, whereas three participated in at least 31 of UCLA’s tilts last season.  The lone exception, Etienne, joined the team late in February after signing a grant-in-aid from high school – and the 6-10 freshman saw action immediately, logging 13 appearances in addition to one start.

Singleton, Kyman, Etienne, and Clark successfully fulfilled backup roles for each position.  Singleton supplied significant minutes at both point and shooting guard spots, and was often the key difference in narrow victories – including a career-best 15 points in the Bruins’ overtime duel with Alabama.  Clark’s minutes, meanwhile, fluctuated throughout his freshman campaign while backing up Juzang – but the youngster showed promise late in the year, including with a 10-point performance in a loss at Colorado.

Kyman saw his minutes trail off in the latter half of the season, nor was the sophomore able to replicate some of the flashes he showcased during his debut campaign – but the 6-6 forward still contributed key minutes for UCLA, including 10 points in a win over Washington State and eight points in 13 minutes in the Bruins’ NCAA Tournament win against Abilene Christian.

All four should be expected to receive substantial playing time again, but the Bruins’ bench will be even deeper this season, courtesy of the additions of Myles Johnson from Rutgers and a pair of highly-touted recruits in four-star guard Will McClendon and five-star Peyton Watson.

Johnson had a stable three-year career on the floor for the Scarlet Knights, earning a spot in the starting line-up in 2019-20 and immediately cementing himself as one of the deadlier shooters and rebounders among Big Ten posts.  For his final campaign in Piscataway, the graduate transfer logged a stellar 62.8% shooting clip with near double-double marks of 8.0 points and 8.5 rebounds.

Whereas Clark was essentially Cronin’s first full recruiting class at UCLA last year, the third-year head coach will have two acclaimed newcomers joining and the fold, and both should be expected to make an impact almost immediately.

McClendon – a 6-2 guard who was one of the top recruits from Nevada after averaging 16.0 points, 5.0 rebounds, 4.0 assists, and 3.0 steals during the 2019-20 season – should find himself slotted behind Campbell and Juzang, whereas Watson – the highest-ranked high school player in the state of California this past season after a 30.0 point per game mark in a shortened senior season – should compete for minutes at forward, courtesy of his 6-8 stature.

While Cronin was able to produce four players – or five, at most, if including Kenneth Nwuba, who supplied occasional, limited minutes – off of his bench last season, he will have a few more options available to him immediately this time.  All three should see playing time within minutes of UCLA’s opener against CSU Bakersfield – and all three could, potentially, challenge for a spot in the starting lineup.