Why UCLA’s Donovan Dent Yet to Earn His Billing

Reviewing how the Bruins top transfer has performed this season

Nov 14, 2025; Inglewood, California, USA; UCLA Bruins guard Donovan Dent (2) looks on during the first half of the Hall of Fame Series game against the Arizona Wildcats at Intuit Dome. Mandatory Credit: Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images | Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images

Easily the biggest transfer for the Bruins this season was Donovan Dent, a player who could have elevated the Bruins to the next level.

After a dominant season with New Mexico last season, the news that Dent would be joining the blue and gold sent shockwaves throughout the Big Ten. A 20-point scorer joining an already historic program, with significant pieces already in place, gave the Bruins an edge early on.

Early Expectations

Dec 19, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; UCLA Bruins guard Donovan Dent (2) is defended by Cal Poly Mustangs guard Guzman Vasilic (5) as he drives to the basket during the first half at Pauley Pavilion presented by Wescom Financial. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images | Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

Entering this season, as mentioned before, the expectations for Dent were sky-high. In his final season with New Mexico, Dent posted 20.4 points, 6.4 assists, and 2.3 rebounds per game. He did all of this while shooting 49% from the field and 40% from three, excellent overall.

While that amount of production coming to Westwood, the expectations could not have been set higher. Entering his senior season, Dent would now have three years of development under his belt, meaning he was set for a much better season with the Bruins.

Wisconsin guard Nick Boyd (2) guards UCLA guard Donovan Dent (2) during the first half of their game Tuesday, January 6, 2026 at the Kohl Center in Madison, Wisconsin. | Mark Hoffman/Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

With Dent making close to $3 million with the Bruins, the motivation for him to be great was set in stone. However, money does not solve everything as Dent has had a very up and down season so far. His high expectations have correlated with UCLA's as the Bruins have fallen from No. 12 in the nation to unranked.

What We Have Seen

Dec 19, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; UCLA Bruins guard Donovan Dent (2) is fouled by Cal Poly Mustangs guard Guzman Vasilic (5) during the first half at Pauley Pavilion presented by Wescom Financial. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images | Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

So far Donovan Dent has not lived up to his prestigious price tag, but it is not entirely to his fault. The Bruins as a whole have not been been able to find their stride, and in turn the Bruins now have five losses through 15 games this season.

So far Donovan Dent has put up 13.5 points, 6.5 assists, and 2.6 rebounds per game. His shooting has been subpar this season, shooting 43.2% from the field, a terrible 9.1% from three, and a mediocre 61.8% from the line.

Nov 3, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; UCLA Bruins head coach Mick Cronin talks to guard Donovan Dent (2) during the second half against the Eastern Washington Eagles at Pauley Pavilion presented by Wescom Financial. Mandatory Credit: Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images | Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images

His shooting has been his main critique this season; however, his playmaking has not missed a step. His ability to get his teammates open has allowed for Bruins like Skyy Clark and Tyler Bilodeau to be huge offensive threats.

While his scoring has been down, there have been plenty of examples where he has really shone. Just recently, against Iowa, he was able to drop 25 points, and two games prior, he was able to score 20 against Arizona State. We still need to see more flashes to determine if he will truly be able to meet expectations.

Dec 17, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; UCLA Bruins guard Donovan Dent (2) is defended by Arizona State Sun Devils guard Moe Odum (5) as he drives to the basket in the first half at Pauley Pavilion presented by Wescom Financial. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images | Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

Overall, Donovan Dent has not quite met expectations, while he has certainly shown flashes he has simply not met that $3 million price tag. If he is able to figure out some of his shooting struggles, there is little doubt that he can't be the Bruins best player.

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