Why UCLA Would Be Winners if Portal Closed Today

If the offseason were to end today, UCLA would be in a strong position.

Even after losing key players before the transfer portal opened — Donovan Dent, Tyler Bilodeau, Christian Horry, and Skyy Clark — the Bruins have done a solid job reloading. With six new additions, UCLA looks poised to make a meaningful push next season.

If the season started today, UCLA’s projected starting lineup could feature Trent Perry at point guard, Jaylen Petty at shooting guard, Eric Dailey Jr. at small forward, Filip Jovic at power forward, and Xavier Booker at center. While there may be a slight drop in top-end star power, the overall structure of the roster looks much more balanced.

UCLA’s offseason strategy has clearly been about addressing the weaknesses that held the team back last season — defense, rebounding, and overall depth. While the roster may not appear as talented on paper, it is far more complete.

Last Season’s Weaknesses Are in Rearview

Mar 22, 2026; Philadelphia, PA, USA; UCLA Bruins head coach Mick Cronin reacts in the first half during a second round game of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Xfinity Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images | Bill Streicher-Imagn Images

Defensively, the Bruins made noticeable improvements with additions like Sergej Macura, Jovic, and Azavier Robinson. Last season marked one of the weaker defensive performances under Mick Cronin, making this area a clear priority.

Rebounding was another major issue. UCLA ranked near the bottom nationally, and that simply was not sustainable. With Jovic, Macura, and even Petty contributing from the guard position, the Bruins should see significant improvement on the glass.

Depth was arguably the biggest flaw. When Clark went down with an injury, UCLA was forced to rely heavily on Dent and Perry for extended minutes. While that approach worked at times, it was not sustainable.

Late in the season, both Dent and Bilodeau dealt with injuries, which ultimately limited UCLA’s ceiling and contributed to an early tournament exit. With the added depth this offseason, that scenario is far less likely to repeat itself.

Only Issues

The biggest question now is star power. UCLA no longer has a proven all-conference scorer like Bilodeau or an elite facilitator like Dent. Replacing that level of production is never easy, but the Bruins have built a roster that can compensate in other ways.

The team’s top returning players — Perry and Dailey — both showed significant promise last season. While they may not start the year at the level of UCLA’s former stars, they have the potential to reach that tier by season’s end.

It is also important to note that UCLA took a hybrid approach this offseason — both reloading and building for the future. Three of the incoming transfers (Jovic, Petty, and Robinson) are underclassmen, and the Bruins also added high-upside recruits like Joe Philon and Javonte Floyd.

The bottom line is that UCLA is positioning itself for both immediate competitiveness and long-term success. While there is still room to add another high-impact player, the Bruins have already built a roster capable of making serious noise over the next few seasons.

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