Top transfer portal fits 2.0: Why Cade Tyson, Rylan Griffen, Jeremy Roach and more are primed to shine

Roddy Gayle Jr. hits all the right notes as a potential breakout candidate under new Michigan coach Dusty May. Gayle is hopping enemy lines. The boos when he returns to Columbus will likely be there, but his decision to leave looks wise right now. Gayle's path to a monster role is far clearer at Michigan than it would've been at Ohio State alongside Meechie Johnson (who needs the ball in his hands) and Bruce Thornton (who also needs the ball in his hands). 

Gayle had to leave Ohio State to hit his ceiling.

May's drive-and-kick scheme should pair perfectly with Gayle's skillset. The 6-foot-4, 210-pound guard just gets to his spots. Nearly 60% of Gayle's shots last year came in the paint or at the rim, per CBB Analytics. Gayle has the ball-handling, size and knack for finishing in the paint to be a real menace. His drives should only get better, but his patience is another area of his game that should be a real asset moving forward. Finding ways to decelerate and stay under control after using that quick first step to get a step will be a big piece of his offseason.

Of course, the jumper is still a major swing skill. Gayle has had pockets of excellent 3-point shooting. He's just streaky. 

Gayle is just a good basketball player. He rebounds. He makes plays for others. He's a really good defender. There are just so many parts of his game that should round into form with more seasoning and a jolt of confidence.

Gayle has a chance to be Michigan's best transfer portal addition in the 2024 cycle. 

Joshua Jefferson, from Saint Mary's to Iowa State

Iowa State coach T.J. Otzelberger hit the portal armed with plenty of ammunition (Sweet 16, Big 12 Tournament title) and plenty of available minutes to sell. Iowa State was looking at wholesale changes to its frontcourt picture. It needed just a bit of everything after Omaha Biliew hit the transfer portal and the trio of Tre King, Rob Jones and Hason Ward exhausted eligibility.

Otzelberger crushed it, just like one of his patented early-morning lifts.

Saint Mary's transfer Joshua Jefferson is the jewel of Iowa State's new-look frontcourt mix. Jefferson, a 6-foot-8, 220-pound forward, has all the tools to be a Day One starter for the loaded Cyclones in 2024-25.

Jefferson does just a bit of everything well. He's a lunch pail guy who averaged 10.2 points, 6.5 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 1.2 steals in 25 minutes per game last season under well-respected, Gaels coach Randy Bennett.

Jefferson's best asset is his defense. Jefferson often earned the top frontcourt assignment for Saint Mary's 15th-best defense. Even in a 78-71 loss to Utah, Jefferson shined with his blanketing coverage on Utes star Branden Carlson. The 7-foot-1, All-Pac-12 big man scored just seven points on 3-for-7 shooting. Jefferson was draped on him like white on rice.

Jefferson suffered a season-ending knee injury which forced him to miss the season's final eight games. Saint Mary's went 6-2 in his absence, but it felt the loss.

Saint Mary's played roughly 400 possessions against top-100 teams with and without Jefferson.

The defensive splits are jarring.

Saint Mary's owned an 85.3 adjusted defensive rating with Jefferson on the floor against top-100 squads. That defense rating was 20 points per 100 possessions worse without him, per hoop-explorer.

He's not just a high-energy, high-impact defender, either. Jefferson has plenty of untapped upside offensively. Iowa State prioritizing Jefferson was smart, but Jefferson prioritizing Iowa State was also keen. Playing with talented guards like Tamin Lipsey, Curtis Jones and Keshon Gilbert will be beneficial.

Jefferson can be a strong play-finisher who can loom in the dunker spot to be an outlet for Iowa State's strong drivers. But the pockets of self-creation are tantalizing. Jefferson has some real juice off the bounce, attacking long closeouts and getting into the teeth of the defense. Gonzaga tried putting a center (Graham Ike) on Jefferson, and he torched the Zags for 16 points. Jefferson was also a good decision-maker which he might not have to do a ton at Iowa State, but it certainly does not hurt his game.

Jefferson isn't an insane floor-stretcher (16 3-pointers in 25 games), but the stroke is clean, and he shot 72% from the free-throw line this past season.

Jefferson's rebounding, motor and defense will fit like a glove with Iowa State's ethos. The lineups with Jefferson, Lipsey and Gilbert on the floor together will be hellacious defensively. But there's room for Jefferson to elevate his game to a different tier.

Tyler Bilodeau, from Oregon State to UCLA

UCLA's offensive issues were well-documented last season. The Bruins couldn't shoot, period. The layup is the most efficient shot in basketball, but the Bruins didn't get many of 'em. UCLA had one of the lowest rim rates in college basketball last year, and when it got there, it did not convert. UCLA shot a porous 51% on layups as a team. Dreadful, no-good stuff.

Oregon State transfer Tyler Bilodeau should be a massive breath of fresh air for UCLA's frontcourt that left way too much meat on the bone last year. 

Bilodeau's offensive game is so polished. He owned a 121.4 offensive rating during Pac-12 play this past season which ranked sixth-best amongst all players in the now-dead Conference of Champions. When he gets to the rim, he finishes at a high clip (71%). He can pick-and-pop for jumpers. He's a strong post-up scorer. He can create his own offense when the shot clock is dwindling. Bilodeau is just ... good. He instantly jumps to the top of the pecking order in a crowded, talented UCLA frontcourt. 

Bricking point-blank shots at the rim might be a thing of the past for UCLA's frontcourt moving forward with Bilodeau leading the charge.

Rylan Griffen, from Alabama to Kansas

Kansas shot just 80 transition 3-pointers this past season which was the lowest in over a decade of KU hoops. Rylan Griffen shot 32 transition treys last year all by himself.

The Alabama transfer will add a different jolt of shot-making to a Kansas backcourt that was sorely missing a certified sniper. A big man hub like Hunter Dickinson who can really pass should be good for Griffen and vice versa. Dickinson should be able to use his wide frame to set some boulder screens that Griffen can hide behind and uncork his silky-smooth jumper. When Dickinson is operating in the low post, Griffen will make opponents think twice before sending a double team and getting into scramble mode. Griffen will open up space for AJ Storr to go to work in one-on-one situations. He'll give Dajuan Harris a transition, shot-hunting outlet which is so vital. 

RELATED: Kansas' 2024 transfer portal haul

Griffen-to-Kansas will work offensively, but it can be one of the best landing spots for a transfer in this class if Griffen steps up to the plate defensively.

Alabama's defense was not a strength this past season, but Griffen transformed into a trustworthy defensive option. That's an area of concern for Storr. South Dakota State transfer Zeke Mayo still has to answer that question. Griffen should immediately become one of KU's top perimeter defenders. He's a good hook-and-trail defender with real length to bother shooters. 

Look throughout the Big 12. There are snipers everywhere. Houston's LJ Cryer, Cincinnati's Dan Skillings. Iowa State's Curtis Jones. Texas Tech's Chance McMillian. UCF's Darius Johnson. West Virginia's Tucker DeVries. Arizona's Caleb Love (potentially). Those are all the types of guys who Bill Self will ask Griffen to hound. 

Griffen's shooting is ideal to clear room for all of KU's drive-first, shot-creators, but his defensive impact could be immense.

Amari Williams, from Drexel to Kentucky

A new era of Kentucky basketball is already on display. Kentucky only has six guys on the roster, but it already has more two-way pieces than it did last year.

None bigger than Drexel's Amari Williams.

Mark Pope's five-out system is so reliant on a big man who can make quick reads on the fly. That made Aly Khalifa such a cult hero of sorts, and some figured Khalifa was bookmarked for Kentucky after Pope took the job.

But Williams is better. Williams will be the hub of Pope's offense, and Khalifa is off to Louisville to spend a year getting healthy before returning to action in 2025-26.

That's a trade Kentucky should feel just fine about.

The Drexel transfer had a 17% assist rate this past season, and the Dragons used some of the similar concepts that BYU ran so eloquently. BYU often had its centers (Khalifa or Fousseyni Traore) operate as the hub with a ton of zoom or split actions to free up back cuts, open treys or handoffs.

Drexel did a ton of those same things with Williams.

He's a plug-and-play starter who is elite on the defensive end and on the glass. Those were both areas of concern with Khalifa whose mobility was tarnished due to a nagging knee injury.

RELATED: Kentucky's top 10 ranked 2024 transfer portal class

The pieces are starting to mold into form around Williams at Kentucky. San Diego State transfer Lamont Butler was used often in the handoff game with Jaedon LeDee. Otega Oweh is a beast in transition, and Williams is a glass-cleaning center who will get it out of his hands and let Oweh go hunting for easy buckets before the defense gets set. If you double-team Williams, he needs an outlet. Wake Forest transfer Andrew Carr is an exceptional stationary, catch-and-shoot 3-point threat.

Kentucky is still going hard after Dayton transfer Koby Brea. He's arguably the best shooter in the transfer portal, and Pope's scheme combined with Williams' decision-making could help Brea waltz into multiple open looks a night.

The transfer portal is stocked full of elite big men, but the scheme fit between Williams and Pope is impossible to ignore.

Darlinstone Dubar, from Hofstra to Tennessee

There is always room at the inn for veterans who play to their strengths. Tennessee badly needed wing reinforcements after Dalton Knecht, Josiah-Jordan James and Santiago Vescovi ran out of eligibility.

Hofstra transfer Darlinstone Dubar will get one of the first cracks at replacing a big chunk of those minutes. The 6-foot-8, 211-pound veteran will enter his fifth year of college basketball with his game fully refined. Dubar shoots catch-and-shoot 3-pointers and attacks long closeouts to get to the rim. He's also a smart post-up threat, and Rick Barnes has never been afraid to use guards or wings as post-up hubs if he feels like they can do damage.

Dubar shot 58% on 38 shots out of post-ups last season, per Synergy. That's an asset of his game that Tennessee will utilize.

But his jumper sets everything up. He's huge and he can get rolling from deep in a hurry. Dubar shot over 40% on 167 catch-and-shoot 3-pointers this past season, and he also shot over 72% at the rim. All that stuff plays.

He probably won't be Dalton Knecht 2.0, but he can instantly fill James' role.

Cade Tyson, from Belmont to North Carolina

Cade Tyson-to-UNC made too much sense when the North Carolina native hit the transfer portal.

It's finally complete.

The 6-foot-7 wing is waltzing into one of the best backcourts in the country, headlined by All-American RJ Davis. Dropping the "I'm back" edit is the only thing left for Davis to do. In the meantime, UNC is buffing up its rotation to make Davis' final season worth it.

Tyson will make the Tar Heels better. But he isn't the Harrison Ingram replacement. He's much more the Cormac Ryan replacement. Many of Carolina's guards --- Ian Jackson, Seth Trimble and Elliot Cadeau --- all have shooting questions. That's why Tyson is such a big addition. Those shooting questions don't exist for him. Building a well-rounded roster with little positional overlap is vital, and UNC plugging Tyson into the mix solves that void because he's different from the rest of UNC's perimeter options.

Tyson, like Ryan, is a net-shredding sharpshooter. Tyson shot over 46% on 156 catch-and-shoot 3-pointers this past season, but he's more than just a floor-spacing secondary weapon. Tyson's pull-up jumper is an effective part of his arsenal, and he can get to the rim well with curls off pindowns or attacking long closeouts. He doesn't need the ball in his hands to be effective, but when it happens, he makes decisive moves.

Belmont's defense was so-so (130th nationally, fourth-best in Missouri Valley Conference play), but Tyson's defensive tape is a little better than you might think. He can move those puppies. He chased Drake star wing Tucker DeVries around in both matchups. Belmont mixed zone and man, but Tyson's one-on-one defense on DeVries was rock solid. Tyson can mirror shooters who are trying to wiggle around screens, and his length is key for rearview contests against drop coverage. He won't hurt UNC defensively, and he'll be only additive offensively.

Maybe most importantly, Tyson's presence doesn't preclude UNC from chasing more wings. If Harrison Ingram opts to exit the NBA Draft and return for another season at Chapel Hill, his bootyball game pairs well with Tyson's cutting and floor spacing. If Ingram stays in the draft, UNC can easily add another forward to this mix. Kentucky transfer Adou Thiero is a top target. He needs space to unlock his turbo drives, and Tyson should help UNC's floor-mapping so much.

Finding a big man is UNC's biggest offseason void once Davis' intentions to return became clear. That is still the priority. But finding shooting was the second-biggest need, and Tyson checks off that ultra-important box.

Jeremy Roach, from Duke to Baylor

It's hard to see Jeremy Roach-to-Baylor not working out well for both sides. You have to go digging through years of sports media guides to find the last lead guard who flamed out at Baylor. Scott Drew just gets the most out of his backcourt players year after year.

That should be no different with Roach patrolling the Baylor backcourt.

Last season, Roach had to accept a minimal 20% usage rate on a Jon Scheyer-coached Duke offense that ran through versatile big man Kyle Filipowski. Roach's usage rate will spike at Baylor. He'll be at the top of the scouting report alongside star freshman VJ Edgecombe. Roach will have every opportunity to put up the best numbers of his career in Year 5.

Roach should easily surpass his previous career-best mark of 14 points per game, and do not be surprised if he throws his hat into the ring for the Big 12 Player of the Year chase.

Seven extra quick-hitters

• Jamie Dixon is crushing it with the TCU rebuild. Frankie Collins (from Arizona State), Noah Reynolds (from Green Bay) and Brendan Wenzel (from Wyoming) form a strong backcourt trio with different strengths that should complement each other well. Collins is a dynamic point guard who can get downhill and elevate over everybody. Wenzel is that floor-stretching sniper. Reynolds can play on or off the ball with a scaled up or scaled-down role. His game fits with everyone. TCU has avoided that positional overlap. This is an example of sneaky-good roster construction. 
• North Texas transfer Jason Edwards should shine at Vanderbilt under Mark Byington. Edwards is a baller who is the much-needed shooter to complement Grant Huffman and MJ Collins in Vanderbilt's brand-new backcourt.
• Illinois transfer Amani Hansberry was not a free agent for long. Hansberry followed his assistant coach Chester Frazier to West Virginia, and he could be quietly positioned for a big role in Morganton. We'll see how Darian DeVries shakes out the rest of this roster, but Hansberry is a multi-year transfer who will be productive sooner rather than later.
• Brandon Murray has a chance to be a superstar at McNeese State under his old LSU coach Will Wade. Familiarity should be good for Murray who was once thought of as one of the best players in the transfer portal in multiple cycles. McNeese State did a world of help for Shahada Wells' career, and Murray should have a similar impact. Wade is a baller on the recruiting trail, and the Cowboys will be a wagon, yet again.
• Turns out, Sean Miller is pretty darn good at this whole portal recruiting thing. Indiana State transfer Ryan Conwell is a complete net-stripping guard who should be an immediate difference-maker for a Xavier club that has every intention of pushing for a Big East crown. Conwell clearly watched the tape of what Miller did with Quincy Olivari and wants a little bit of the same. Conwell should be a double-digit stud for Miller from the get-go.
• Stanford transfer Andrej Stojakovic needs the basketball in his hands to reach his full potential. North Carolina couldn't guarantee that. Kentucky couldn't guarantee that either. So he landed at Cal. It's a mega recruiting win for Mark Madsen and the Cal coaching staff. He should have every opportunity to earn the Jaylon Tyson role for a Cal team that had to replace basically everyone. The bright lights of the blue bloods didn't distract Stojakovic from what he needed to prove to NBA scouts. That opportunity at Cal should prove to be highly beneficial.
• Matt Allocco shot over 42% from downtown for a complex Princeton offense. He should have no problem getting free for Notre Dame under Micah Shrewsberry who has helped shooters transform into stars repeatedly over the years. This fit has a chance to be really, really good for both sides.