T.J. Leaf to UCLA: Bruins Land 5-Star PF Prospect

The UCLA Bruins added an elite playmaker Thursday when power forward T.J. Leaf joined their 2016 recruiting class. 

Jeff Borzello of ESPN passed along the news.

The 6’9”, 215-pound Leaf checks in as a 5-star prospect, per 247Sports’ composite rankings, and is the No. 17-rated overall prospect, the No. 5-rated power forward and the No. 2-rated player from the state of California in his class.

Borzello also mentioned Leaf and point guard Lonzo Ball are an "elite tandem." Ball is also a UCLA commit and a 5-star prospect on 247Sports' composite rankings.

Leaf originally committed to Arizona but ultimately elected to reopen his recruitment. Given his California roots, it is no surprise the Wildcats and a number of other Pac-12 schools expressed interest in the forward throughout the recruiting process.

In fact, UCLA, Arizona State, California, Oregon and Colorado all recruited him at one point, as did blue-chip teams across the nation, such as Duke, Michigan, San Diego State and Indiana. He narrowed his list to Oregon, UCLA and San Diego State before his final decision. 

Leaf is one of the best players in the entire 2016 class. He is a versatile playmaker with the ball in his hands despite his size as a power forward and is more than willing to fill the lanes in transition alongside smaller guards.

The forward can connect from the outside when defenders give him too much space, create looks off the dribble for himself and teammates and post up smaller opponents. He is also a solid rebounder at 6’9” and is a matchup nightmare given his ability to play in the paint, beyond the three-point line and in transition. 

Reggie Rankin of ESPN was impressed with Leaf’s skill package after he originally committed to Arizona: 

Leaf demonstrated that versatility when he competed with the Israeli national team in the U18 European Championships, which means he boasts experience in marquee games. That should help him contribute from the moment he steps on campus against elite collegiate competition.

That is exactly what UCLA fans want to hear.