Pac-12 Basketball: Preseason power rankings for 2023-24 season

3. UCLA Bruins

The Jaquez/Campbell era has come to an end and Mick Cronin’s first four years in Westwood end with a 99-36 record, two Sweet 16 appearances as well as a Final Four. Now, Cronin is trying a new approach to his roster construction, bringing in three international prospects to play immediately.

Jan Vide is a perfect weapon for Cronin’s system as a midrange maestro. The 6-foot-7 guard from Slovenian was a force during U19 FIBA competition and is a clear future NBA player once he adds more strength and works on his mechanics. While a point guard throughout his playing career, he’ll start off of the ball with sophomore Dylan Andrews tasked with bringing the ball up.

Another future pro, Aday Mara comes from overseas to play for the Bruins. The 7-3 Spanish center projects to be a lottery pick in the upcoming NBA draft. As if the height wasn’t indicative enough, Mara has a 7-foot-7 wingspan and just utterly deviates the court’s dimension when he’s on it. But what may be even more impressive than his size is his coordination and touch around the basket. He’s able to play pick-and-roll duties comfortably and is a superb passer for his age. It’s an embarrassment of riches for Cronin, as he already has one of the most intriguing big men in the country in Adem Bona.

Bona, unfortunately, ended his season dealing with a nagging shoulder injury that hindered him and his elite defensive presence. He had the second-highest block rate in the Pac-12 last season and the third-highest offensive rebounding rate as well. But it’s also worth noting that he was consistently great on offense in his limited role. He had the second-highest effective field goal in the conference too. It’s hard not to envision his 7.7 points and 5.3 rebounds per game ballooning in a larger role.

Cronin also added promising wing Berke Buyuktuncel from Turkey who offers impacts in nearly all facets to the game. He’s a great cutter and rim runner and shows an ability to switch and defend at a high level. He has the ability to develop further as a perimeter scorer and has shown a high-level of passing and court vision.

The Bruins added Lazar Stefanovic from the portal to contribute some much-needed experience. Stefanovic previously played two seasons at Colorado and offers some perimeter shooting.

This is an incredibly young team but with those international recruits, a team that has had experience playing against high-level competition. Adding three players who have played in professional-style offenses should help the Bruins shore up a lack of reps as a team going into the season.