Three questions will shape the early feel of UCLA men’s basketball’s 2026-27 season, and they all point to the same thing: how much the Bruins can stretch their lineup without losing control of it.
The first one is the most obvious. Trent Perry is the only proven lead guard on the roster, so the backup point guard spot is a major issue. UCLA has the whole summer to get that next man ready, and that need connects directly to Eric Dailey Jr.’s value as a ball handler and facilitator.
Right now, Azavier Robinson looks like the leading candidate. The 6-foot-2 freshman transfer from Butler is a low-to-the-ground creator who can get downhill, and he shot 43.3% from three before a wrist injury cut his season short.
He was 13-of-30 from deep and posted 1.083 points per possession in transition. The concern comes when he has to run the offense in the half court: as a pick-and-roll ball handler, he produced 0.590 points per possession, carried a 28.2% turnover rate, and finished with 50 assists against 42 turnovers overall.
That’s not clean enough yet. Still, the early buzz from summer workouts says Robinson has been one of the best players in the gym, and he brings real defensive value too.
He held opponents to 1-of-12 in isolation and allowed just 0.684 points per possession as a pick-and-roll defender.
Jaylen Petty is the other name in the mix, and his path is different. He’s more of a scoring guard right now, dangerous coming off screens and able to create his own shot off the dribble.
But if he’s going to have a real NBA future, the point guard spot is probably where it has to happen. He showed he can handle that role in high school, including a 61-point, 15-assist, 15-steal triple-double as a senior at Rainier Beach.
The question for Mick Cronin is how he divides the point guard reps this summer, because that will determine whether Petty gets a legitimate look at the one and whether he can shift away from pure scorer mode. Last season as a freshman in the Big 12, he had 74 assists and 30 turnovers, roughly a 2.5:1 ratio.
Another big swing factor is Xavier Booker, and there’s a real case that he’s ready to take a jump. The finish to his season was strong: 12 against Purdue, 15 points and 4 blocks against UCF’s John Bol, and 13 against UConn’s Tarris Reed Jr., the 26th pick in this year’s draft and the Big East’s Most Outstanding Player.
UCLA needs more from Booker around the rim, where he can change shots, bother drivers and become a more noticeable rebounder even on the boards he doesn’t secure. He’s been working in the weight room this summer, and the next step is becoming more physical when he’s carving out space in the paint.
The shooting already gives him a high-end base. Booker hit 43.3% from three for the season and 53.1% on unguarded catch-and-shoot looks, which is elite for a center.
The trade-off with a big who can space the floor is usually some defensive give, and Booker did allow 1.154 points per possession while defending the roll man in ball screens. If he can keep improving his presence in the paint, hold up better in ball-screen coverage, disrupt more actions and rebound more consistently, that could lift UCLA’s ceiling as much as anything else on the roster.
The final piece is whether Mick Cronin lets Eric Dailey Jr. use the full range of what he can do. Dailey scored in double figures in 26 of UCLA’s 35 games, and over his final 10 games at the four he averaged 13.9 points, 6.3 rebounds and 1.6 assists while shooting 48.6% from the field and 45.5% from three on 33 attempts. For the season, he shot 31.6% from deep, but in that late stretch he generated 1.069 points per possession.
UCLA can get even more out of him as a connector. Dailey can handle the ball, push in transition and make decisions on the move, which ties back to the backup point guard issue.
Every time he initiates, the Bruins can avoid putting a pure point on the floor. He can rebound, bring it up himself and either attack in transition or flow into half-court action with Perry, Petty or Nikola Kusturica.
Defensively, his opposing four has to respect him far from the basket, which opens the floor for guards in ball screens and creates more room for cutters.
Dailey spent part of his summer with Team USA’s 3x3 group, which went 18-0 in the Americas North tournament and qualified for the U23 World Cup. He also trained with Jonathan Thomas, who is part of Ja Morant’s personal performance and development team. He appears to be in better shape than he was at the start of last season.
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UCLA Gonzaga Just Became A Much Bigger Game For Bruins Fans
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Former UCLA guard Donovan Dent is seeking a fifth year of eligibility after a recent NCAA age-based rule change and a legal injunction in Ohio opened the door to another season. If that extra year is granted, Gonzaga is reportedly a possibility for Dent, which would add another layer to a matchup that already had plenty going for it. For Bruins fans, it is the kind of development that turns a high-profile neutral-site game into something with a little more edge. [Read more 🡒]