With LSU Basketball Expecting to Lose Core Group, Future a Bit Uncertain

LSU and Will Wade will be in a retooling mode this offseason. This is a team that is coming off back-to-back trips to the NCAA tournament and building a consistent winner is what's most important for success in college basketball.

But this is a program that's future is a bit uncertain as this season officially comes to a close. It's expected by many that Javonte Smart, Cam Thomas, Trendon Watford and Darius Days will all move on to professional basketball. The Tigers will return some veteran players and young talent that can make some noise but there's far more that's up in the air in terms of who will be capable of stepping up.

"We're certainly going to lose some very, very good players. We've got some talented young kids in the program that we feel really good about," Wade said Monday after the Michigan loss.

Eric Gaines, Jalen Cook, Mwani Wilkinson, Josh Leblanc and Shareef O'Neal will certainly need to take their games to new heights. Newcomers like forward Alex Fudge, center Jerrell Colbert, guard Brandon Murray and transfer Seneca Knight will also be names to watch as potential future stars with this program.

Wade said after the loss on Monday that the Tigers will continue to be aggressive in the transfer market in the hopes of landing one or two more pieces that can help the team get back to the NCAA tournament.

"We're going to try to mix in some veteran guys here in the spring, have two or three scholarships to mess around with and get some talented veteran guys to join our young core that's really, really good. We've got to keep the young core together, keep those guys together, get those guys in the gym, get back to work, add a couple veteran pieces. I think we can be right back where we are tonight."

What Wade mentions as the most important element for success next season is keeping that young core together. Gaines and Cook figure to be the future of the LSU backcourt. Both are phenomenal on ball defenders but will now be asked to take on a heavier offensive load.

Finding success on offense was something that was difficult for both during their freshmen seasons but with Smart and Thomas likely to move on, that freedom will open up for both now. It's expected that the incoming freshmen Fudge, Colbert as well as Knight will be the big scoring threats.

Wade has had success bringing in transfer players like Kavell Bigby-Williams and Marlon Taylor, but the jury is still out on recent additions O'Neal and Leblanc. Leblanc is an excellent defender and affects the game in a multitude of ways but there's no doubt that with the loss of Watford and Days, both he and O'Neal will be asked to carry on more of an offensive burden.

O'Neal will continue rehabbing a stress reaction in his foot and if he can make a jump in his offensive arsenal, the Tigers will be that much more potent. It's an important offseason and one that sounds like it's far from complete. While there are questions about what this team will look like, Wade has proved to be an elite level recruiter in his short time with the Tigers' program.