Iowa State Basketball Has One Glaring Weakness To Address

One weakness emerged for the Iowa State Cyclones last season that has to be fixed.

Feb 16, 2026; Ames, Iowa, USA; Houston Cougars guard Mercy Miller (25) dunks over Iowa State Cyclones forward Dominykas Pleta (21) during the first half at James H. Hilton Coliseum. | Reese Strickland-Imagn Images

There was a lot that the Iowa State Cyclones men’s basketball team did well during the 2025-26 season, which led to historic levels of production.

For the fifth time in as many seasons under head coach T.J. Otzelberger, the team made the NCAA tournament. They advanced to the Sweet 16, a great achievement considering their best player, Joshua Jefferson, was injured minutes into their first game against the Tennessee State Tigers.

He is one of the key contributors from last season who won’t be returning in 2026-27, leaving massive voids for Otzelberger to address. Jefferson was a force on both ends of the floor, but there was one area of his game that left a lot to be desired.

At points during the season, Otzelberger tried different lineup combinations, using Jefferson at the center spot or Eric Mulder. He wanted to see what could work if he didn’t have Blake Buchanan or Dominykas Pleta at his disposal. What he found out was that the team had zero rim protection without them.

Iowa State needs more rim protection

Mar 27, 2026; Chicago, IL, USA; Tennessee Volunteers forward Nate Ament (10) shoots while defended by Iowa State Cyclones forward Blake Buchanan (23) in the first half during a Sweet Sixteen game of the Midwest Regional of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at United Center. | David Banks-Imagn Images

As shared by Sam Vecenie in his draft profile for Jefferson over at The Athletic (subscription required), opposing teams shot 65% when the Cyclones star was on the court at the rim. 

He wasn’t an impactful rim protector, and that number was concerningly high since he played so many minutes alongside either Buchanan or Pleta. It got even worse without one of those two on the court, ballooning to 72% shooting at the rim.

That is something Otzelberger will assuredly be looking to fix, ensuring that he has more rim protection and shot blocking as part of the rotation. And he accomplished that goal with some additions.

Iowa State has addressed rim protection in transfer portal, Class of 2026

Jan 2, 2026; Mesa, AZ, USA; Spire Institute (OH) forward Dorian Rinaldo-Komlan (14) against Arizona Compass Prep during the HoopHall West Tournament at Skyline High School. | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Taj Manning, a transfer from the Kansas State Wildcats, was 18th in the Big 12 with a 3.7% block rate last season. Leon Bond III, a wing transfer from the Northern Iowa Panthers, was 14th in the Missouri Valley Conference with a 2.8% block rate and 12th in total blocks with 26.

Incoming freshman Dorian Rinaldo-Komlan is known for his defensive impact at the high school level as a springy, long and athletic big man who can play above the rim on both ends of the floor.

Having those three, along with Pleta and Buchanan both returning, should give Iowa State a more intimidating presence on the interior, improving their rim protection in more ways than one. That kind of depth and versatility is what will help keep them in national title contention.