Back for Four: UCLA Bruins Basketball Preview

Bench: Backcourt

On the rare occasion that Collison comes out of the game, Holiday will be the primary guy to take over the point, sliding down from the two guard spot. In his place will be Michael Roll, a hard-luck junior who has been riddled with injuries. When healthy, Roll is a deadly shooter from deep, and if he can stay healthy, the Bruins will have a great weapon off their bench.

Freshmen Jerime Anderson and Malcolm Lee will also provide depth at the point (Anderson and Lee) and the two guard (Lee). Both are talented, raw freshmen.

Lee, in particular, is very raw on the offensive side of the ball, but his defense is tenacious—a quality which Howland loves and could earn him some extra minutes. At 6'4", he's long enough to guard a small forward yet quick enough to lock up a point guard.

Anderson is a true point, unlike the combo guard Lee, and will likely sit most of the season in preparation for next year, when Collison and probably Holiday are in the NBA. Josh Shipp can also play at the two when UCLA wants a bigger lineup.

Bench: Frontcourt

The big men off the bench are anchored by a pair of freshmen, J'Mison Morgan and Drew Gordon. Morgan is more of a true center, while Gordon is more of a power forward. As such, Morgan will spot Aboya while Gordon spots Keefe.

Morgan is simply oozing with talent but is probably the most raw player on the roster. He showed great promise in the opener, grabbing nine rebounds in 19 minutes, but his offensive game and conditioning need work. Howland has expressed pleasure in how well Morgan has progressed thus far, so we should see an awful lot of him this year.

Gordon was the first off the bench in the opener, and he is the most polished of the five freshmen after Holiday. He is similar in many ways to Keefe: a low potential player that is very solid in many aspects of the game. He'll give the Bruins a solid jumper, but he's mostly about rebounding and defense.

Finally, Nikola Dragovic is a huge wildcard for this team. The 6'9" Serbian is a sharpshooter from beyond the arc, but problems with injuries and defense have kept him from making an impact. He worked on his D and conditioning throughout the offseason and had a great debut this season, giving the Bruins hope that he can be a major contributor this year.

You're currently logged into Facebook

Do you want to share your Bleacher Report activity on Facebook?