What Brayden Burries Brings to Arizona Basketball

The five-star combo guard will be one of two elite freshmen for the Wildcats this season.

Jan 3, 2025; Gilbert, AZ, USA; Roosevelt High School (CA) guard Brayden Burries (5) against Sandra Day O’Connor High School (AZ) during the Hoophall West High School Invitational at Highland High School. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Imagesn Images | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

The Arizona Wildcats and head coach Tommy Lloyd signed two elite talents out of the prep ranks this offseason: forward Koa Peat and guard Brayden Burries, both of whom will star for the Big 12 program in a conference absolutely loaded with NBA prospects.

Much has been written about Peat considering his performance in the FIBA U19 World Cup this summer, but what about his future Wildcat co-star?

Burries is a five-star combo guard out of Roosevelt HS in Riverside, California, the 10th-ranked player nationally according to On3's Industry Ranking, garnering a 98.67 rating overall, which makes him the highest-rated combo in the country. He signed with Arizona entering the season, helping to give Tommy Lloyd one of the best recruiting classes in the nation entering 2025-26.

The 6-foot-5 prospect is a scoring machine who dazzled throughout his senior season, both in high school and on the EYBL circuit. Though not a highly explosive athlete, Burries makes use of an elite handle and ability to use balance on drives to finish, even if he isn't the fastest player in the open court. His strength and physicality is his biggest asset outside of his shooting touch, and he uses pace as opposed to elite quickness in getting to his spots on the floor.

He has great IQ on the offensive end, allowing him to make reads out of the pick-and-roll as well as in transition. Though definitely focused on scoring, he is developing as a lead guard prospect that could potentially play lead initiator at some point, either this season or in the NBA.

In Roosevelt's state championship game win against Archbishop Riordan, Burries dominated, scoring 44 points and grabbing 12 boards, demonstrating another major strength of his game: his ability to rebound from the perimeter. He is also an engaged and active defender that uses his physicality to body opponents, making it difficult to back him down when opposing guards attempt to post up.

Alongside the aforementioned Koa Peat, as well as four-star wing Dwayne Aristode and three-star wing Bryce James, Burries helps to make up one of the best classes in the country, and could be one of the players to help put Arizona over the top this season, even in a loaded Big 12.