How Jaylen Petty Changes UCLA’s Offense (and Who Benefits Most)

The Bruins have a great mix of different types of players on their roster.

They have experienced veterans such as Eric Dailey Jr. and Trent Perry, as well as talented young players like Nikola Kusturica, Jaylen Petty, and Joe Philon. The roster also features a variety of skill sets, especially on offense. That mix gives UCLA a lot of different offensive approaches for Mick Cronin and will allow him to be flexible this season.

However, one player in particular may have the most influence on this team and on how the Bruins elect to operate on offense.

How Jaylen Petty Changes UCLA’s Offense

Jaylen Petty was brought to Westwood to give this UCLA offense a punch and allow the Bruins to be dangerous from outside the arc. We saw what Petty can do offensively at Texas Tech last season, and his profile makes him a near-perfect fit for this roster. There isn’t anyone particularly like Petty on the roster, giving him a unique style that works well for this team.

Where Petty can most likely affect this offense is from deep range. Petty was a great three-point shooter for Texas Tech last season, shooting 37.5% from deep. At UCLA, if he can continue with that type of production, or even improve on that efficiency, he can elevate everyone around him.

He shot twice as many three-pointers as he did two-point attempts last season, and if he can demand that his defender play close, it can open up lanes for everyone else around him. Nikola Kusturica, Trent Perry, Eric Dailey Jr., and Xavier Booker will likely operate more often inside three-point range, and if Petty can’t have the gravity to pull his defender, UCLA’s spacing could be way off, causing a disruption for everyone on offense.

Who Benefits the Most?

Players like Dailey Jr. and Kusturica, who have the versatility to play just about everywhere on the court, will need spacing to be as effective as possible. If Petty can become an elite three-point shooter for this team, it can be a huge advantage for UCLA for a multitude of reasons.

In UCLA’s first exhibition, Petty was not scared to let it fly, and he’ll need to play with that same confidence and be efficient enough to draw some gravity from his defender. He has a great chance to be a huge offensive player for this UCLA team, and if he can hone in on this particular area of his game, it could get very dangerous for other teams quickly.