How UCLA Has Already Adequately Addressed Departures

Even before the season ended, UCLA knew it would have a lot of work to do this offseason.

The Bruins lost a significant portion of their core, with Donovan Dent and Tyler Bilodeau departing as seniors, while Skyy Clark entered the transfer portal. Before the portal even opened, UCLA's roster did not look like one capable of making a deep run.

How UCLA Addressed Guard Room

At the guard position, losing both Dent and Clark created a major concern. Christian Horry also entered the portal, but his departure was minimal compared to the others. Fast forward to now, though, and UCLA has done a solid job addressing that group by bringing in two underclassmen guards.

For starters, the Bruins may not need a direct replacement for Dent. Trent Perry developed rapidly last season and has positioned himself to take over as the face of the program over the next two years. It should be noted that Perry finished as UCLA's third-leading scorer at 12.6 points per game.

At shooting guard, UCLA had more work to do. The Bruins addressed that by adding Jaylen Petty, a proven shooter with defensive upside who is expected to start next season. UCLA then added Azavier Robinson, further strengthening depth in the backcourt.

How UCLA Addressed Forward Room

Replacing Bilodeau, however, is a much tougher challenge. As the team's leading scorer and a strong rebounder, he leaves a major void. Eric Dailey Jr. is a strong internal option, but it is clear that UCLA needed additional help in the frontcourt.

To address that, the Bruins brought in Filip Jovic and Sergej Macura. Both players add needed physicality, rebounding, and defensive presence. Just as importantly, they are young, giving UCLA time to develop them into long-term contributors.

If UCLA wants to avoid growing pains without a proven top scorer, Dailey will need to take a major step forward. His ability to create his own offense, combined with his rebounding upside, should help soften the loss of Bilodeau in the short term. Still, it is clear that UCLA approached this portal cycle with long-term development in mind.

The bottom line is that UCLA is in a much better position now than it was at the start of the offseason. The Bruins have put the pieces in place to replace their biggest losses, and if their young core develops as expected, the team's ceiling will reveal itself as the season progresses.

This article was originally published on www.si.com/college/ucla as How UCLA Has Already Adequately Addressed Departures.

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This story was originally published April 19, 2026 at 1:45 PM.