Virginia Tech Men's Basketball: Who Could Be the Most Improved Player This Season?

Virginia Tech men's basketball returns just four players this season. Here’s a look at who could make the biggest improvement.

Virginia Tech Athletics

Though only four players return from last year's Virginia Tech unit, that quartet boasts a versatile and useful skillset that will be paramount this coming campaign. But which among those four has the potential to take the jump skill-wise?

The four returners for this season are sophomore guards Ben Hammond and Tyler Johnson, senior forward Tobi Lawal and redshirt junior guard Jaden Schutt. Lawal was the Hokies' leader last season in both points (12.4/game) and rebounds (7.0/game), while Schutt led the team in minutes (839).

Both of them face hurdles to replicating that type of offensive growth. First off, the team is objectively deeper this year than it was last season. Whether it translates into a more fruitful campaign than 2024 is yet to be determined, but there are more pieces factoring into Tech's team this year. With more contributors in the mix, established players may have to take a step back for the good of the team, meaning that there's a possibility that any of the four improve but do so under a reduced role and with stats on the box score that might not appear as good as they were last year.

Johnson and Hammond seem the most likely to improve outright, given that they've only just now gone through one season of college ball. Both also have a starting job that they're fighting for in camp. Hammond is battling directly with Delaware transfer Izaiah Pasha to earn the lion's share of minutes at the one, while Johnson's time could be impacted by the introduction of Neoklis Avdalas. Schutt himself is also in a battle for playing time, facing off against UNLV transfer Jailen Bedford for the starting two-guard spot.

If Bedford wins that battle, Schutt likely slides over to being the third guard in a three-guard, two-forward rotation or a small forward in a more traditional lineup. There's more malleability for the latter now, with increased size from the additions of Christian Gurdak and Antonio Dorn. Schutt and Johnson could find themselves squaring off for playing time if the starting rotation becomes more pliable and opens up. And Lawal himself faces the advent of Avdalas, who could turn into the team's No. 1 offensive option.

That raises an interesting question: If Lawal sees a dip in usage or scoring opportunities, can he still be considered the team’s most improved player? The answer may lie in how he adapts to his changing role. Improvement isn’t always about putting up bigger scoring numbers, but sometimes about refining other aspects of the game to contribute in different areas.

In Lawal’s case, that could mean evolving into a more complete two-way forward. If he takes better care of the ball, increases his assist rate, or becomes a more reliable rebounder on both ends, those gains could be just as valuable, if not more, than raw offensive output. His size and athleticism already make him a solid presence on the glass. So while his scoring may not take a major leap, Lawal’s path to being the most improved player might come through efficiency, leadership and versatility, the kind of traits that don’t always show up in box scores but make a pronounced impact over the course of a season.

After all, turnovers were a key issue for the entire Tech squad last year, particularly Lawal, who averaged 2.2 turnovers per game. Of the other three, Schutt averaged 1.1 turnovers per game, Hammond averaged 1.7 and Johnson averaged 1.4. Hammond's increased turnover rate makes sense since he played the majority of his time at the one; there's still room for him to grow when it comes to ball security. The rising sophomore ranked third in turnovers per game, behind Lawal and ex-Hokie Brandon Rechsteiner, who transferred to Colorado State in the portal this past season.

Schutt's turnover ratio is solid, as is his range from three-point land. All four players shoot over 34% from beyond the arc, with Hammond leading the way at a flat 50%. Johnson likely has the most room to grow on that front, but Schutt was profiled as a sharpshooter coming out of high school. At this point in time, I'd say that Schutt has the case to be the most improved player this season for Tech for two reasons.

The first factor is injury. Schutt showed signs of rust last season after returning from a knee injury that cost him his sophomore year at Duke. With more time to recover and rebuild, he should be much closer to 100% this season.

The second factor is competition; Schutt enters a deeper backcourt this season and will have to battle for a starting role. But that may work in his favor.. With more talent around him, the internal competition should push him to sharpen his game. If Schutt responds well, he could carve out a meaningful role on a team that expects to take a step forward.

Johnson, Hammond and Lawal are in similar positions — all talented with upside, but all facing increased competition for minutes and touches. That environment should create a sharper edge across the board.