UCLA Bruins Insider Podcast: Projecting Next Season's Starting Five

The UCLA Bruins are heading into next season with several new faces and multiple returning veterans. Despite the shake-up, this team is primed for an even better season than last and will compete atop the Big Ten with their newfound talent. What will the starting five look like?

In this episode of the UCLA Bruins Insider Podcast, UCLA Bruins On SI beat writer Tom Cavanaugh predicts what the UCLA Bruins' starting five will look like to begin the 2025-26 season.

PG: Donovan Dent

Dent was the first of several new transfer additions to the Bruins' roster and a blockbuster move as he was regarded as one of the top guards that entered the portal. With the losses of guards Dylan Andrews and Sebastian Mack, UCLA needed an elite scoring guard and received the Riverside native.

Dent was the only player in Division I last season who averaged 20 points (20.4) and over five assists (6.4). He is going to be a season-changing player who has already elevated the Bruins to being considered a top team in the nation.

You can watch the episode below:

SG: Skyy Clark

Clark has a tremendous ceiling for his senior season. After bouncing around schools his first three years, Clark will return to a program for the first time, finally finding a home in Westwood. He averaged 8.5 points on 45.8% shooting and 39.7% from deep.

There is a lot of potential in Clark's ability to be a lights-out scorer, and he showed spurts of it last season. Working off of Dent is going to be very beneficial for him as well.

SF: Eric Dailey Jr.

Dailey is returning for his junior season and is looking to assume more of a guard role, his normal position, after taking more of a forward role this past season with the Bruins' lack of size. Dailey is a major X factor for this team, as he showed numerous times last season.

After staring all 33 games that he played in last season, there is no reason to believe that Dailey will not start for UCLA in 2025-26. He averaged 11.4 points on 50.7% shooting with 4.0 rebounds per contest, making him a force in the paint while being able to step outside and shoot from deep.

PF: Tyler Bilodeau

It will be the final season of collegiate basketball for Bilodeau before he tests the NBA waters, something he is very capable of after what he showed Bruin fans this past season. Bilodeau was the leading scorer all season long and the guy who helped them earn multiple top 25 wins.

After two years at Oregon State, Bilodeau will complete his final two seasons with the Bruins and will find relief in the fact that Dent has joined the roster. Bilodeau was relied on to give at least 20 points each game to win, averaging 13.5 with 4.6 rebounds last year.

He will take a slightly smaller role but may find more production that way as a guy who will command the post while hitting the mid-range at an insanely high clip.

C: Steven Jamerson II

Another one of the Bruins' newest transfers, Jamerson, is returning home as a Los Angeles native, entering his senior season. Standing at 6-10, 210 pounds, Jamerson will likely exceed the production of center Aday Mara from last year, who transferred to join the Michigan Wolverines for next year.

Jamerson averaged 10 points and 7.8 rebounds for the San Diego Toreros this past season and is was comfortable playing upwards of 20 minutes per game on average. He will more than likely be the season-opening starter in the paint, hoping to add size and scoring to this roster.

Bench Rotation:

PG: Trent Perry, Christian Horry

SG: Jamar Brown, Jack Seidler

PF: Brandon Williams

C: Xavier Booker

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