What Dominykas Pleta’s Return Means for Iowa State Basketball

The Iowa State Cyclones men’s basketball roster for the 2026-27 season appears to be complete already.

Head coach T.J. Otzelberger was aggressive early in the transfer portal period, bringing in five players for a visit to Ames the first weekend and successfully recruiting them all, going five for five with commitments.

The good news didn’t stop there for Iowa State basketball. Jonathan Givony shared on X, via Milan Nikolic, that freshman Dominykas Pleta is going to be back with the Cyclones for his sophomore season.

A 21-year-old big man from Germany, he averaged 11.3 minutes per game in his first season in Ames, scoring 4.4 points with 2.3 rebounds, with his role being the backup to starting center Blake Buchanan.

Dominykas Pleta returning to Iowa State

Iowa State Cyclones forward Dominykas Pleta dunking basketball. — Iowa State Cyclones forward Dominykas Pleta (21) celebrates after a dunk around Houston Cougars forward Joseph Tugler (11) during the second half in the Big-12 men’s basketball at Hilton Coliseum on Feb. 16, 2026, in Ames, Iowa | Nirmalendu Majumdar/Ames Tribune / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

What could be in store for Pleta in Year 2 with Iowa State? As Givony noted, an expanded role is likely, but what could that entail?

Given the moves that were made thus far this offseason, at the very least, he is going to soak up most, if not all, the minutes behind Buchanan once again. The only competition he is going to face for that role looks to be from incoming freshman Dorian Rinaldo-Komlan, who does look like he can be an instant contributor on the defensive end.

If Rinaldo-Komlan proves worthy of minutes, Otzelberger should strongly consider deploying Pleta for some playing time at power forward, even alongside Buchanan.

When playing internationally prior to coming to the Cyclones, he logged at least one 3-point attempt per game from 2022 through 2025. His percentages each season weren’t great, but the tools are there for him to develop into a good enough shooter that opponents have to at least pay attention to.

Given some of the transfer portal additions, namely Tre Singleton and Taj Manning, it was clear what the game plan was. Otzelberger wanted to get bigger, needing more size and depth in the frontcourt.

NEWS: Dominykas Pleta will return to Iowa State for his sophomore season, Milan Nikolic tells DraftExpress.

The 6'11, 21-year-old German freshman played 11 minutes per game for the Cyclones and will likely be asked to step into a bigger role next year. pic.twitter.com/CNU1JiYC3q
— Jonathan Givony (@DraftExpress) April 14, 2026

When Joshua Jefferson went down with an ankle injury in the Round of 64, their lack of options at power forward got exposed. The Tennessee State Tigers and Kentucky Wildcats didn’t take advantage, but the Tennessee Volunteers did, bludgeoning them on the boards.

That is something Iowa State is better equipped to handle this upcoming season. Because of the improved depth, Otzelberger is going to be able to mix and match, playing more combinations in the frontcourt with double big men.

In turn, it should lead to more opportunities for Pleta on the court. His playing time should increase, and his one year of experience in the system gives him an edge over incoming players.

It would be silly for the coaching staff to prioritize a new player entering their last season of eligibility over Pleta, who has two more years of eligibility remaining following the 2026-27 season. Ideally, this would be a building block campaign before taking over as a starter when Buchanan graduates.

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