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UCLA Basketball: Rising Sophomore Guard Listed as Breakout Candidate by ESPN

How will Dylan Andrews perform this year?
Jason Fray|
UCLA Basketball: Rising Sophomore Guard Listed as Breakout Candidate by ESPN
UCLA Basketball: Rising Sophomore Guard Listed as Breakout Candidate by ESPN

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UCLA Bruins

With Tyger Campbell graduating from the program, the UCLA Bruins are going to be led by rising sophomore Dylan Andrews in 2023/24.

A native of nearby Gardena, Andrews essentially took last year to learn the ins and outs of the position as an understudy to the aforementioned Campbell. 

Andrews averaged only 3.3 PPG and 1.1 RPG in 10.8 MPG. With that said, we saw glimpses of a player who could end up being a gigantic x-factor not only in the Pac-12 but also from a national standpoint. 

ESPN pundit Jeff Borzello certainly thinks so, as he listed Andrews as one of his 12 primary breakout candidates for this upcoming season. 

Borzello had this to say about the Bruins' sophomore guard: 

"UCLA loses five of its top six players from last season, with longtime starting point guard Tyger Campbell among that group. And that's where Andrews comes in. He's one of just four players on UCLA's roster who scored a basket for the Bruins last season, and his 3.3 points per game average leaves him as the team's second-leading returning scorer. Andrews is a former top-50 recruit in the ESPN 100, and he should be a stabilizing force in UCLA's backcourt."

-- Jeff Borzello

per ESPN

Fellow college basketball pundit Jon Rothstein also pegs Andrews as a breakout performer for the baby Bruins this year. 

As has been chronicled all offseason long, UCLA is bringing a very young team to the table this year. There's also a ton of turnover -- with eight new players (seven freshmen) joining the roster. 

While Adem Bona garners plenty of the press clippings, the lynchpin for this team likely is Andrews. Perhaps more so than any other program, the point guard under Mick Cronin is a true extension of the coach. A former point guard himself, Cronin requires his point guards to not only control tempo but also take care of the ball. 

Campbell, in particular, was great at doing both. Andrews is a different type of player in general. Whereas Campbell made his mark with headiness, deception, and craftiness, Andrews is a far better athlete -- perhaps the quickest guard on the West Coast.

Campbell sometimes struggled to stay in front of his man on the defensive end of the floor. Andrews has a far higher upside in that category as a ball-pressuring defender. 

Lastly, Andrews does have the potential to be a superior three-point shooter. Undoubtedly, there will be some growing pains. UCLA has a bear of a non-conference schedule, and that's totally by design in order to get Andrews up to snuff with how Cronin wants the position to be played. 

Andrews is a future NBA player if he can tap into his potential and be the guard many think he'll be. 

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Jason Fray
JASON FRAY

Jason Fray is a proud native of Los Angeles. After graduating from UCLA in 2011, he's written for a number of publications -- including Bleacher Report, FOX Sports, Saturday Down South, and New Arena. In his downtime, he enjoys writing scripts, going to shows, weekly pub trivia with the boys, trying the best hole-in-the-wall food spots around town, and traveling (22 countries & counting). 

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