The college basketball transfer portal is now open and Rutgers has some work to do. With many transfer portal acquisitions graduating this year and their star freshman duo departing for the NBA, head coach Steve Pikiell and his crew will have their work cut out for them trying to field a competitive team. Here are three types of players Rutgers should target in the transfer portal.
**#1 A True Rim Protecting Center**
Lathan Sommerville showed a lot of development this year and could be a stud for Rutgers if he chooses to stick around. That being said, he does not have the measurables to be a true rim protecting center. Pikiell’s defensive system seems to need someone like this because of its tendency to try to funnel their opponents inside into traffic. We saw this be a very effective strategy with player like Miles Johnson and Cliff Omoruyi. If Rutgers can get one of these players in the portal, Pikiell should have an easier time running the defense he wants to run.
**#2 Three point shooters**
Rutgers needs to target three point shooters in the portal simply because all of their “Sharp shooters” from last season are graduating. Every team needs a player who can hit from three consistently so they don’t end up getting log jammed under the basket. That was one of the core issues with the 2023-2024 squad. If Rutgers can nab one of these in the transfer portal it will open up opportunities up close for scrapier players like JaMicheal Davis.
**#3 Point Guard**
Last season, much of the offensive facilitation was up to Dylan Harper and Jeremiah Williams. With Harpers departure, Rutgers will need to find someone that can run their offense and set up plays for their teammates. Rutgers should look to target someone with a few years of college basketball under their belt so that they can better understand Pikiells offensive system and what type of defense they are matching up against.
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