Kelvin Sampson's Initial Thoughts on Point Guard Dedan Thomas Jr.

Houston's head coach explains what's special about his new floor general.

Mar 4, 2026; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Cougars head coach Kelvin Sampson claps his hand while the Cougars play against the Baylor Bears in the second half at Fertitta Center. Mandatory Credit: Thomas Shea-Imagn Images | Thomas Shea-Imagn Images

It's now time to move to the next in line at point guard at Houston. Dedan Thomas Jr., the transfer point guard from LSU, committed to Houston and will be leading the offense for the Cougars in 2026-27.

Thomas Jr. will be a senior and will have just one year of eligibility available for Houston. This is a great opportunity for him to bounce back from his injury-filled junior season with LSU and cement his name as one of the top point guards in the country. The talent has been there as a former four-star recruit and the No. 1 point guard in Nevada.

Houston needed a point guard after senior Milos Uzan will move on, likely to the NBA, and freshman Kingston Flemings has declared for the NBA Draft. Thomas Jr. is someone who is a good fit for a program that wants an experienced guard. His three years of starting experience will help a younger guard room.

Thomas Jr. initially visited Houston as a recruit in high school, and his father, Dedan Thomas Sr., has always wanted his son to play for coach Kelvin Sampson. That opportunity has come around. Sampson recently shared his first thoughts about his new point guard after Thomas Jr.'s signing was made official.

Sampson Describes His New Point Guard

See what @CoachSampsonUH had to say about our newest Cougar... Dedan Thomas Jr!#ForTheCity x #GoCoogs pic.twitter.com/fj05WZhq5Y

— Houston Men's Hoops 🏀 🐾 (@UHCougarMBK) April 22, 2026

"DJ is a young man that we recruited out of high school. Of course, the point guard position here has probably been the strength of our program, from Galen (Robinson) to Dejon (Jarreau) to Milos. We've never not had a great point guard all the way through Kingston," Sampson said.

Houston's had a seamless transition at point guard during almost the entire Sampson tenure so far. Thomas Jr., also known as DJ, becomes the latest in that group. There will be high expectations for him, given the kind of players that have held the position down at Houston in the past.

"Now we slide right on over to Dedan Thomas Jr. I think we'll just keep going," Sampson said. "DJ is a point guard's point guard. Can manage the game, understands the game at a freakishly high level. Very smart. Can get in the paint. Plays off his imagination."

His experience and basketball IQ are something that Houston needs. Thomas Jr. is a great scorer in the paint and also has the ability to get to the free-throw line. He shot 83 percent from the charity stripe last season. That can offer consistent scoring even if shots aren't falling from the outside.

"Good shooter, not a great shooter. Real saavy. I think all our guards are going to benefit from having DJ because he's going to make all of them better," Sampson said.

Thomas Jr. averaged four to five free throws per game last season and even got close to six in his sophomore year at UNLV. The Las Vegas native shot 45 percent from the field last season and averaged 15.3 points per game and 6.5 assists per game. Those assist numbers are much higher than both Uzan and Flemings and he gets to the line more than them.

He looks to be a true distributor and can make others better, as mentioned by Sampson. Thomas Jr. also has low turnover numbers at just 1.6 per game last season, which is standard for a Houston point guard. His strengths go along with the Cougars, and it will also be interesting to see how he looks on defense.