Kansas State Basketball: How does Arthur Kaluma impact Wildcats?

The wins just keep coming for Kansas State Basketball on the transfer trail, adding to their haul with the commitment of Arthur Kaluma this weekend.

The forward chose the program in Manhattan over the weekend. Other teams in the chase for Kaluma included the Alabama Crimson Tide and Kentucky Wildcats, neither of whom were able to get Kaluma on campus prior to the commitment, according to ESPN.

Kaluma will be viewed as a one-to-one replacement of the departed Keyontae Johnson, an All-American a year ago. The fit isn’t quite that simple, but they will have played the same position at Kansas State this time next year.

Last season, Kaluma averaged 11.8 points and 6.0 rebounds per game at Creighton. Those numbers were an improvement from his freshman season, though his 31.1 percent three-point proficiency left something to be desired.

One has to wonder if Kaluma was in Jerome Tang’s back pocket for some time. After all, it was Kaluma who upstaged the Wildcats’ biggest rival, the Kansas Jayhawks, with a 24-point, 12-rebound game in the 2022 NCAA Tournament, a game the Jayhawks only narrowly won en route to the title.

Bringing in Kaluma – arguably the best transfer left in the portal – should lead to massive things for Tang’s team this season.

What is the impact forward Arthur Kaluma’s arrival makes on Jerome Tang’s Kansas State Wildcats program?

Kaluma is the second major transfer addition for the Wildcats, joining Tylor Perry of North Texas fame. The two are expected to follow in the footsteps of Johnson and Markquis Nowell, who propelled Kansas State on a remarkable run a year ago.

There are areas Kaluma needs to improve, particularly his efficiency shooting the rock. It helps that he’s a good athlete, he also needs to be more consistent on the defensive end.

Kaluma is destined for the starting lineup, as is Perry. In fact, the entire starting lineup appears to be taking shape, with the others likely to be Cam Carter, Nae’Qwan Tomlin, David N’Guessan; Tomlin, in particular, will be worth watching to see if he can take a big leap.

Kansas State may not be done building, either. According to The Wichita Eagle, the program still has two scholarships it needs to fill, which means there could be another transfer or two coming in.

The one noticeable issue for the Wildcats is that they’re going to be somewhat reliant on freshmen from a depth perspective. Even if Tang brings in another transfer or two, freshmen are going to make up the bulk of the roster’s back end.

Four-star guards Dai Dai Ames and RJ Jones will both be expected to contribute immediately. At the wing spot, the Wildcats will also need freshman Macaleab Rich to provide some minutes off the bench.

When Perry committed to the Wildcats last month, it seemed like they needed to do a little bit more to maintain their level from this past season, or at least come close to rivaling it. They did so by grabbing Kaluma.

Once again, Jerome Tang will be taking the Kansas State Wildcats to the NCAA Tournament in 2024.