Analyzing Jaylen Carey's Fit With Mizzou Basketball

Missouri men's basketball has landed the commitment of former Tennessee forward Jaylen Carey, per Joe Tipton.

Carey is the first transfer portal addition of the Tigers' 2026 offseason. The 6-foot-8, 267-pound forward brings three seasons of experience, the last two of which were split between Vanderbilt and Tennessee in the SEC. He holds career averages of 7.5 points, 5.3 rebounds and 1 assist while playing just 17.8 minutes per game — solid numbers despite limited action.

Carey was ranked as the 35th best power forward and a three-star transfer in the 2026 transfer portal class, per 247Sports. Missouri head coach Dennis Gates reached out to Carey in last season's portal cycle, and has now circled back around to get his guy, per PowerMizzou.

Here's what his addition means for Missouri's offseason and upcoming 2026-27 season.

Patches one weakness, amplifies another

Missouri averaged the fourth-least rebounds per game in the SEC last season, hauling in 35.3 boards per night. The Tigers joined South Carolina (32.6), Ole Miss (34.3), Vanderbilt (35.2) and Oklahoma (35.6) as the bottom-five rebounding teams in the conference. Only Vanderbilt won an NCAA Tournament game.

The top five teams? Florida (45.1), Tennessee (42.5), Alabama (40.7), Mississippi State (38.2) and Georgia (38.1), three of which won an NCAA Tournament game. Texas, Kentucky and Texas A&M, who were the next three highest-rebounding teams, all won an NCAA Tournament game as well — there's a clear correlation between postseason success and regular-season rebounding.

Carey can help elevate Missouri into the top half of rebounding teams in the SEC, given the rising senior has amassed over 400 rebounds in the last two seasons despite playing less than 20 minutes per game in both. He tied a season-high with 10 rebounds against the Tigers in February, a number he reached five other times in the 2025-26 season.

"If you look at the size of Jaylen Carey, his width is more important than his height," Gates said ahead of the game. "There is not one big man, no matter how tall they are, that stops him from doing what he does, because his width is an advantage."

While his width and rebounding is certainly an advantage, his lack of perimeter offense could present an equally large disadvantage.

Missouri's perimeter offense struggled last season, as only two players made one or more 3-pointers per game in conference play — Trent Pierce and Jayden Stone. Stone exhausted his final season of eligibility and won't be with the Tigers' next season. Pierce returns, and incoming five-star freshman Jason Crowe can shoot from distance, but there's not much more shooting to go around on Missouri's roster. The spacing, as it currently sits, is extremely poor.

Carey will likely add to the spacing problem, as the veteran big missed all five of his triples last season and shot 9-for-39 from beyond the arc in 2024-25. He also shot 49.1% from the free-throw line, which was a career-worst mark, although he's never shot over 56.8% regardless.

Missouri will need to work around his shooting woes to implement him into the rotation.

Fit in rotation

Carey's prior three seasons of heavy usage should make him a strong candidate to play a consistent role in the rotation. He's played less than 10 minutes in just four of his 106 games, making Carey an iron man of sorts — he can be called on nightly.

Despite his shorter stature, Carey can scale up using his width to play center — as of now, he'd likely start at the five, but there's still plenty moves to be made in Missouri's offseason. Carey could make for Missouri's best backup big in soon-to-be five seasons under Gates, and could compliment fellow backups Trent Burns and Luke Northweather — who is not yet officially announced to return — well.

Oklahoma Sooners forward Mohamed Wague (5) puts up a shot beside Missouri Tigers center Trent Burns (7) during an NCAA men's basketball game between the University of Oklahoma Sooners (OU) and the Missouri Tigers at Lloyd Noble Center in Norman, Okla., Tuesday, March 3, 2026. Oklahoma won 80-64. | BRYAN TERRY/THE OKLAHOMAN / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Northweather's shooting could cover Carey's flaw, while Carey's paint protection and rebounding could cover Northweather's lack in the area. As for Burns, the 7-foot-5 giant can make up for Carey's lack of height, while Carey's tenacity can make up for Burns' lack of rebounding and mobility.

While he's never been a full-time starter, the possibility of Carey starting with the Tigers shouldn't be ruled out entirely. Should Missouri miss out on other portal targets, or not fully trust the readiness of Burns, Carey is a quality backup who can step up if absolutely needed. However, it's probably for the best if Carey stays as a high-usage bench player.

Future offseason moves

Per reports, Missouri has been heavily linked to former Kansas big Bryson Tiller and former Providence wing Jamier Jones. Carey, while taking up a frontcourt roster spot, shouldn't send off any signals of worry about missing out on either Tiller or Jones — they each play entirely different roles.

Missouri still has plenty of roster spots to fill. To stay in the loop with all of the Tigers' offseason moves, keep up with our offseason tracker.

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