**** Official 2026 MBB Spring Transfer Portal Thread ****
- Thread starter LLCoolCY
- Start date
Probably none of these guys would give ISU the "Lipsey discount" if that is actually what Tamin did.
A 4 that shoots 28% from 3 and a 5 that shoots 0% from 3 does not translate to a functional offense. This is assuming that one of them has the foot speed and conditioning to defend the 4.
This staff LOVES to dink around with line-ups (I’m a fan), and it seems like every late February or early March we see something for the first time. I don’t gamble. But if someone was giving odds for the number of minutes those two play together, I’d take the under 0.5.
The thing I love about TJ is he will find the diamonds in the rough that fit his system that no one is talking about.
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I'm also curious to see how he continues to blend overseas players and transfer portal additions. It would be amazing to get some foreign born players in the NBA and open that market more.
Jazz, Eneruna, King, Jefferson, Kiss. And like you said he will be 22, that’s not the time for guys to magically develop the ability to shoot the 3.
I get it's a fun exercise to project future lineups, but in today's portal era it's kind of a waste of time in mid March. So many unknowns.
Luckily that specific lineup guess is almost certainly not going to be reality as it would really struggle to score.
Milan needs to stay at the 3. People's posts of him moving to the 4, don't understand just how physical you have to be to play it all season in the Big12. Milan is great at a lot of things, but being physical is not one. Also, IF he's coming back he's not going to completely change up his role. He and the staff would continue to focus on his ability to score - not bang down low.
TJ has a great foundation to work with on what could possibly come back, but they absolutely need to fill Jefferson's role in some way. Whether that's through spending big on 1 guy or splitting the production across a couple guys, moneyball style.
1. Toure(assuming he takes an offensive jump this offseason), veteran transfer, maybe Gray? - solid
2. Williams OR Batemon - solid
3. Milan?, Williams - if Milan back, all set
4. BIGGEST NEED - will need to spend big here imo
5. Buchanon, Pleta, DRK - all set
Pleta may be serviceable at the 4 if he has a big jump in the offseason on the offensive end, but can't rely on him as the primary option there. Him and Buchanon continuing to alternate at the 5 will be very effective. Anything you get out of the freshman, DRK, is a bonus. We all know, freshman bigs take a while to develop. Same reason I don't think we can rely on Jackson Kiss to come in, and offer much year 1.
They will absolutely need to find someone that can score and rebound (at least a 12 & 8 guy) - unfortunately everyone else is looking for this as well, so it'll come with a hefty price tag.
If Milan is back, he stays at the 3. If he leaves, I think you can make a rotation of Toure, Batemon, and Williams work 1-3. Williams has a bit more size - CuJo played this position in their 3 guard lineups last yr, and was slimmer than Mason. In this scenario I think you likely need to also go out, and get a playmaking guard because we just don't know what Williams is bringing yet coming off his injury.
Bottom line:
Primary - must have a plug & play transfer forward come in that can shoot it with some respectable consistency to maintain spacing.
Secondary - (a lot depends on Milan's status) playmaking veteran guard
Understanding these are big & expensive asks, but I think only needing a couple transfer additions for next year's team means they're already in a pretty good spot.
What you saw on video of him playing in Germany should not be your short term expectations of what he can produce in the Big 12. He absolutely has gotten more confident as the season has gone on, but his driving is pretty slow developing, a lot of times even stops at the hoop to gather himself.
If he can develop into a solid back-to-the-basket scoring option for TJ next year, then that is a big win. I wouldn't expect much more than that at this point, and certainly not a starting role at the 4.
Cyclonepride
Thought Police
I agree, I think Toure/Williams at the 1/2 as the situation dictates, Milan/Batemon at the 3 and Buchanan/Pleta at the 5. Need maybe one experienced guard to supplement the guard court and one experienced 4 man with the freshmen slotting in where they're ready (assuming everyone comes back).
I realize these types of forecasts are fruitless, not knowing who is transferring out nor who is transferring in, but where is the fun in just waiting to see what the future brings? I remember worrying that Biliew and Rock would be one-and-done recruits, and I guess, in a way, I was right.
Regarding Pleta, I feel like his natural position is at the 4. This year he played where the team needed him. I think he can play either position, which is a big plus, but I see him more as a 4 than a 5.
I like Pleta a lot, but I didn't see the quickness to play the 4 at the Big12 level. It's great if he can make 18ft jumpers, as that's a missing element from our high-post screening offense
Much better chance that Momcilovic plays the stretch 4 spot. And TJ goes with 3 guards.
Yes, I think Pleta will continue to develop and next year you'll see him look at the basket from 15 to 20 feet and I would also think from 3. That will help our offense and make him even better offensively for us. Just watch some of his highlights from Europe; he was shooting a fair amount of threes. I think he'll keep working on it, and get to a better percentage (even if marginally) and TJ gives him the green light to be a threat.
That's my hope and belief at least that he could have the most improvement out of all the returners. He's got good physicality, and finishing ability around the rim. If he can get better at the jumpers (and I predict he will), he's going to up his contributions and scoring next year and be an even better player for us.
I think you're generally right against most teams, but not all as to the 4 position. It depends on the matchup. For example, Arizona started Krivas at 7-2 and Peat at 6-9. Pleta covered Peat just fine and that's a top 5 (probably the overall number 1 team) in the nation. He can easily play the 4 against some of the best players like Peat at the 4. Pleta's footspeed is pretty darn good. Sure, if a team plays small ball (like Kansas sometimes has this year at the 4) it will be harder for him, but it's match-up driven.
That said, TJ doesn't seem to show a proclivity to change starting lineups or substitution patterns based on other team's personnel. TJ seems to go with these 5 no matter what and try and impose our will on the other team rather than try to counteract the other team's strengths. So, I don't imagine a lot of 4 for Pleta in our system, but he can definitely do it except for certain matchups.
I wouldn't call Jazz or Eneruna strong rebounders. Eneruna never shot better than 32% from 3. Tre King was very strong, but he shot worse from 3 point range than Pleta did in Europe. Who is Kiss? Why am I blanking on that?
At age 20, Jefferson was a 27% three point shooter, Jaz was a 30% shooter and Pleta was a 28% three point shooter
At age 21, Jefferson was a 31% three point shooter, Jaz was a 34% shooter and Pleta didn't attempt a 3.
At age 22, Jefferson was a 35% three point shooter and Jaz was 38% shooter.
You are telling me, its IMPOSSIBLE that Pleta might possibly be a 30-35% three point shooter next year?
It definitely helps that Iowa State has been a proven school for talent and success for athletes to want to come to play here for TJ.
If Milan comes back, his role will be based on feedback from the NBA. They'll want to see more than a spot-up shooter. They'll want to see a guy who is VERY comfortable driving into paint. That doesn't mean a player who finishes at basket, but player who can make mid-range jumpers.
Also, if Milan can't be physical at Big 12 level, how can he expect to hold-his-own in the NBA? And one area the NBA will want to see improvement is rebounding, even if Milan projects as an NBA wing.
And the days of 4's banging down low are long gone. Think of Milan as a stretch 4. More Niang than Jefferson. Alex Karaban is another comparable.
The goal for Milan should be making him a 1st round draft pick. And that means expanding his skillset.
Could definitely be right about the quickness. However, he seemed to be pretty decent on the traps and switches on the outside.
If the lineup is 3 guards, Momcilovic and Buchanan are the starters, our rebounding will be attrocious, unless the third guard is the type of rebounder that Heise is. He is really an underrated loss for next year.
