Updated Transfer Needs for BYU After Eventful Opening Week in the Portal

The transfer portal opened for all college basketball players earlier this week. Of the players that were eligible to return to BYU next season, six of them entered the transfer portal. In this article, we'll go over BYU's top three needs in the transfer portal.

1. A starting point guard

BYU has an obvious need to add a starting point guard after losing Rob Wright III to the transfer portal. While Wright could have a change of heart and return to BYU, a starting point guard is at the top of the list of transfer needs.

Wright is not only one of the top point guards in the portal, but one of the top players overall. It would be a big win for BYU to get Wright back in the fold. After the season, Kevin Young talked about adding shooters around Rob Wright. If Wright can play around shooters that will space the floor, he would have a chance to improve his efficiency.

If Wright goes elsewhere, BYU will need to pay up for a point guard.

2. Shooting, shooting, and more shooting

Shortly after BYU's loss to Texas in the NCAA Tournament, BYU head coach Kevin Young met with the media. Coach Young emphasized the need to add more shooting to next season's roster.

"There's just no substitute for shot making," Coach Young said. "End of story. We were 4 of 22 from 3. We had a hard time shooting the ball the last couple of weeks of the season. Our spacing was not where I'd like it to be...I think for sure just shooting is always for me something that there's no substitute for."

One high-level shooter that has been connected to BYU is former BYU signee Collin Chandler. As a starter, Chandler averaged 9.7 points per contest at Kentucky while shooting 41% from three. He also shot 83% from the free throw line.

If BYU gets Collin Chandler to return home and play in Provo, BYU will still need to add more shooting. BYU has six roster spots to fill. At least half of those spots need to be filled by players that can shoot at a high level.

3. A Starting Big Man

BYU was bounced in the first round of the NCAA Tournament because they didn't have a big man to counter Texas big man Matas Vokietaitis. The Cougars were either undersized at that position (Keba Keita, Khadim Mboup) or unproductive (Abdullah Ahmed).

Xavion Staton entered the transfer portal earlier this week. Even if Staton was on the roster next season, he wouldn't be ready to be a full-time starter in the Big 12.

The Cougars need a starting big man that can either disrupt opposing offenses with size or score on the offensive end.

4. Depth Across the Roster

BYU will swing big for some of the big names in the transfer portal. After that, BYU will need to add some depth to the roster. BYU would do really well to find a potential contributor with the last two or three spots on the roster. Last season, BYU didn't have quality depth behind its top three players, especially after injuries impacted players like Dawson Baker.

Finding an under-the-radar name that can play a specific role for this team could be the difference in a couple games in leauge play.