Top 4 basketball players who could return to Arizona for 2024-25 season ft. Jaden Bradley

Head coach Tommy Lloyd has been quite a successful leader for the Arizona Wildcats. After missing the NCAA Tournament for nearly half a decade, Lloyd has led the team to three straight appearances in his first three seasons as a head coach.

Simultaneously, the team won the Pac-12 Conference regular season and Tournament titles in 2022 and 2024, cementing it as one of the brightest stretches in program history.

In those years, the team also made it to the Sweet Sixteen round in March Madness, the Wildcats' first appearances since 2017. After another strong season, the Wildcats are going through a major roster turnover in the offseason.

Caleb Love, KJ Lewis, and Pelle Larsson all declared for the NBA draft. No less than six players entered the transfer portal, with Oumar Ballo, Kylan Boswell, and Paulius Murauskas finding new homes in Indiana, Illinois, and Saint Mary's, respectively.

The loss of Caleb, in particular, the reigning Pac-12 Player of the Year, could be devastating for Arizona, as he led the team with 18 ppg, while adding 4.8 rebounds and 3.4 assists as well.

It hasn't been all negative for Arizona, who got Trey Townsend from the rival Oakland squad. A 5-star recruit in Carter Bryant and two 4-star recruits in Jamari Phillips and Emmanuel Stephen are some of the other notable additions.

Basketball players who could return to Arizona

#1 Jaden Bradley

At 6-foot-3, Jaden Bradley is going to get a lot more touches after finishing the season averaging 7 points in just a tick over 20 minutes a game. With efficiency his biggest calling guard, the sophomore shot 46% from the field as well as 3-point range.

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In short, Bradley has showcased flashes of great playmaking potential, with 3.1 assists in his freshman season, followed by a larger role as a shooter in year 2, when he averaged 2 assists a night.

#2 Conrad Martinez

A 6-foot tall guard, Martinez was a complete non-factor in his freshman season. His role could expand thanks to the hole in the backcourt with the exit of key players to the draft and the transfer portal.

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Before his freshman season, Martinez drew high praise from Coach Llyod, who promised that Conrad would become a fan favorite in no time thanks to his competitive spirit.

"I think this fan base is going to love him,” Lloyd said. “He’s a winner. He plays with fire. I am sure he is going to have to get over here and figure it out a little bit. He plays with some personality and some charisma. I am excited to see Conrad’s relationship with Tucson grow. He’s a winner and he plays with great spirit and energy."

#3 Motiejus Krivas

Another international recruit from last year, the 7-foot-2 center from Lithuania, will be getting a much bigger role with Oumar Ballo and Dylan Anderson departing for the transfer portal.

Clemson v Arizona

In his freshman season, Motiejus showed some early promise, playing just 12 minutes a night but racking up 5.4 points and 4.2 rebounds on a solid 55.4% from the field. Recently, Coach had high praise for his playmaking skills,

"Krivas is a center. He’s a big guy with a big body. He has good hands. I think he has an ability to be a creative player with his passing and ability to read the game. I think he is a guy that impacts the game with great hands and size. I think he has a really bright future.”

#4 Henri Veesaar

Henri Veesaar was touted as a prize acquisition for the Wildcats in 2022 when the Estonian superstar, who despite a 6-foot-10 frame was a lethal knockdown shooter, averaging 42.9% from downtown in his Real Madrid career.

In his first season, he appeared in 29 games, averaging just 2.4 points and 1.5 rebounds off the bench. His second season was spent on the sidelines due to an injury before Tommy called him off for the season with a redshirt tag.

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“Henri and I have had some good meetings, and that’s kind of where we both settled in on, that that’d be the best thing for him,” Lloyd said. “In my mind’s eye that’s probably the best thing for his long-term development is to do that this year, just without this injury, and then how the season has played out.”

This season, with the squad lacking frontcourt depth and a key rotation piece in Paulius Murauskas leaving for Saint Mary's in the transfer portal, the team is going to rely heavily on him.

Which other player returning do you think could bolster the 2024–25 squad for Arizona? Let us know in the comments below.