NCAA Basketball: Analyzing top 5 teams for UC Riverside transfer Zyon Pullin

LSU Tigers

It was a miserable first season for head coach Matt McMahon, who had a rebuilding roster after the Will Wade saga the year prior. The Tigers finished last in the SEC and lost star big man, K.J. Williams. The team also lost three of its top guards, as Adam Miller, Cam Hayes, and Justice Hill all transferred out.

That leaves Trae Hannibal, a role player, and combo guard that averaged 6.8 ppg and 2.3 apg. He’s joined by a brand new group of guards among the six incoming transfers. The biggest name of the group is Jalen Cook, who averaged 19.9 ppg and 4.9 apg at Tulane this past season. He was a star at the AAC level and was a former Tiger as well.

Carlos Stewart averaged over 15 ppg and is a shooting guard transfer at Santa Clara. And Jordan Wright is a wing from Vanderbilt and a double-digit scorer. The team could use another guard to add to the depth but if Cook is the clear lead guard, minutes could be hard to come by for Pullin, who may have to come off the bench.

The Tigers missed out on Syracuse transfer Joe Girard and haven’t been involved with the transfer portal since. Considering that LSU was last in the conference last season, they can’t have too much talent. But there are risks for Pullin if Cook is the real deal and becomes the primary ball-handler.