Iowa State spent the offseason trying to patch a roster that took some real hits, but one of the Cyclones’ transfer additions may end up doing more than just filling a gap.
The challenge was obvious. Joshua Jefferson was a first-round pick in the 2026 NBA Draft.
Milan Momcilovic tested the NBA draft waters, then withdrew and transferred to the Kentucky Wildcats. Tamin Lipsey had run out of eligibility.
Losing that much talent would force any staff to get creative in the portal, and Iowa State brought in several new pieces to help steady the lineup.
Among them was Jaquan Johnson, who initially looked like the ideal answer at point guard. A court ruling changed that equation, and now Johnson won’t be asked to replace Lipsey.
He’ll line up alongside him instead. That gives the Cyclones a much higher ceiling, because Johnson brings impact on both ends of the floor.
ESPN’s Jeff Borzello and Paul Biancardi included Johnson on their list of the most impactful transfers in men’s college basketball, naming him one of 16 sleeper newcomers. It’s easy to see why he made the cut.
At 5-foot-11, Johnson is the kind of undersized guard who never lets opponents breathe. He’s the reigning Missouri Valley Conference Defensive Player of the Year, and his numbers backed that up in a big way.
He led the league with 84 total steals and 2.5 steals per game. His 4.9% steal rate, 3.2 Offensive Win Shares, 5.1 Win Shares and +7.4 Box Plus/Minus were all tops in the MVC, too.
Johnson’s awards stack told the full story. He landed on the All-Missouri Valley Conference First Team, the MVC All-Defensive Team, and he was also named the conference’s Most Improved Player.
Production-wise, he stuffed the stat sheet at Bradley, averaging 16.9 points, 3.9 rebounds and 3.6 assists in 30.4 minutes per game. He brought relentless pressure, hounding opponents defensively while attacking downhill and getting to the line. Even with a 28.1% usage rate, he kept the ball secure, averaging just 1.4 turnovers per game.
That sort of profile would have made him a strong Lipsey replacement. Instead, Iowa State gets both guards, and that changes the look of the backcourt in a major way.
Head coach T.J. Otzelberger now has two bulldogs who can bother opponents on the perimeter with constant ball pressure. And when Killyan Toure gets healthy and returns to the lineup, Otzelberger will be able to bring that same pressure every second with three elite point-of-attack defenders at the front of his defense.
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