UCLA Basketball: Projected Dynamic Lineup Alters Season Ceiling

UCLA basketball is set to return to greatness next season, or at least that’s the hope residing in Westwood.

The signing of 5-star Serbian Nikola Kusturica is a huge addition to the 2026-27 UCLA roster. Longtime college basketball analyst and reporter Jon Rothstein of CBS Sports posted his projected 2026-27 starting five for UCLA after Kusturica signed with the Bruins on Thursday.

Rothstein projects Trent Perry, Jaylen Petty, Kusturica, Eric Dailey and Xavier Booker as the 2026-27 UCLA starting five. Rothstein stated that UCLA should be a consensus top 15 to 20 team next season. He has UCLA ranked 19th in his preseason rankings.

UCLA’s Returning Production

Mar 13, 2026; Chicago, IL, USA; UCLA Bruins head coach Mick Cronin yells at his team in the game against the Michigan State Spartans during the first half at United Center. Mandatory Credit: David Banks-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Booker, Dailey, and Perry return to the 2025- 26 UCLA roster. Petty has three years of eligibility remaining after averaging 9.9 points per game, 3.9 rebounds and 2.2 assists at Texas Tech as a freshman during the 2025-26 season. Perry is the leading returning scorer for UCLA after averaging 12.6 PPG, 3.0 RPG and 2.8 APG in 2025-26.

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Dailey led UCLA by starting 35 of the Bruins’ 36 games during the 2025-26 season and averaged 11.6 PPG, 5.8 RPG and 1.3 APG, while shooting an efficient 48.6 percent from the field. Booker started 27 games in 2025-26 and played in all 36 contests, while averaging 7.3 PPG, 3.5 RPG and 1.2 blocks in 20.1 minutes per game.

UCLA Relying on a Young Rotation

Booker, Dailey, and Perry are projected to be the only juniors in the 2026-26 UCLA rotation. No seniors are expected to be in the 2026-27 UCLA rotation. With Kusturica and Petty projected to be new starters for UCLA in 2026-27, head coach Mick Cronin has a critical task of building chemistry over the next 3.5 months before the Bruins open the season on November 2 against Arizona in Las…

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Publish date : 2026-07-12 16:30:00

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