Steven Branscombe-Imagn Images
By Hunt Palmer
College basketball tips off this week, and LSU joins the party on Wednesday as Tarleton State visits the Maravich Center.
The only holdovers on the roster for LSU are Jalen Reed and Robert Miller. Reed missed all of SEC play with a torn ACL last winter, and Miller was a reserve as a freshman.
Matt McMahon enters year four and had more resources to go build this roster. Last season’s roster was good enough to go to Kansas State and win. They handled Florida State. The overtime win over Central Florida was solid. They didn’t stub heir toe with any of the over matched non-conference opponents.
But the SEC was too much.
The media picked LSU 14th of 16 team entering this season. There won’t be any external expectations on this team, but there is a quiet confidence in Baton Rouge.
Here are three things to know about the Tigers as opening night approaches.
TO THE POINT
Matt McMahon has not gotten quality point guard play through three seasons.
Justice Hill came over from Murray State in year one, and he didn’t translate from the Missouri Valley to the SEC. He only ended up starting five SEC games and averaged 3.9 points on 21% shooting from three-point range in conference play.
The next year, Jalen Cook’s return to LSU was bumpy. He ended up leaving the team. Cook was a scorer in a point guard’s body. Last season, Jordan Sears was an improvement, but his assist to turnover ratio was just 79-70, and he didn’t shoot the ball neatly as well as he had at Tennessee-Martin. His three-point shooting dipped from 43% to 31%.
Enter Dedan “DJ” Thomas Jr.
Get used to this duo 🤞 pic.twitter.com/FRebydWT6s
— LSU Basketball (@LSUBasketball) October 26, 2025
Thomas has been running the show at UNLV, where his father was a standout, for two years. As a freshman, he was Mountain West Co-Freshman of the Year, and he was third-team All-MWC last season.
He had five assists or more in 16 games a season ago and shot six free throws per game. That’s about double what Sears shot last season.
Thomas controlled LSU’s exhibition win over Central Florida with 16 points and nine assists. His plus-minus was +19 which was the game-high. Look for LSU to initiate a ton of its offense through Thomas with a high ball screen. He’s got incredible instincts and is always under control. While not an explosive athlete, he’s quick enough to win off the dribble and capable of scoring and facilitating. He has not been an elite shooter through two seasons, but he’s been good at 36% from three-point range.
DJ Thomas TAKEOVER 🔥
📺 ESPN+ pic.twitter.com/vdHmQDXPAD
— LSU Basketball (@LSUBasketball) October 26, 2025
This is a deep LSU team, but it’s not unfair to say that the Tigers are leaning heavily on Thomas on the offensive end.
TRIPLE THREATS
LSU shot the ball horrendously last season. Of 364 teams in Division 1, LSU ranked 335th in three point shooting. Only Wake Forest was worse in the Power Five. In the modern game, you just can’t win like that.
When Jalen Reed went down, LSU didn’t really have a way to score in the front court either. That combination will get you to 3-15 in the SEC.
This roster should shoot the ball better. Thomas is a capable shooter at the point. On the wing, Max Mackinnon shot 41% from deep last year and was 3-for-4 against Central Florida. Ron Zipper shot nearly 40% over two professional seasons in Israel and is an excellent free throw shooter. Marquel Sutton made 3-of-5 three at Central Florida though he wasn’t an elite shooter at Omaha. PJ Carter comes over from Memphis. Over three stops, he’s made 100 threes at a 39% clip. He’s a sharp shooter.
Max knocks down his third 3️⃣ of the day!@maxxmackinnon | ESPN+ pic.twitter.com/kHBbLSTPlp
— LSU Basketball (@LSUBasketball) October 26, 2025
Thomas should create good looks for this group, and they have got to shoot the ball better than the 2024-25 Tigers.
SIZE MATTERS
When Reed went down last year, LSU didn’t have a replacement.
The Tigers played Daimion Collins at the five. He was listed at 200 lbs. Corey Chest is 6-foot-6 and was counted on to be LSU’s best rebounder. Miller wasn’t ready for 25 minutes per night. Derek Fountain was a role player.
McMahon knew he needed some size, and he got it.
Michael Nwoku isn’t the most polished scorer, but he’s physical. The Mississippi State transfer is 6-foot-10 and 261 lbs. He had 15 points and six rebounds at Central Florida. Reed returns at 6-foot-10, 245 lbs. Sutton is 6-foot-9 and 225 lbs. He’s a fifth-year player who led the team with 11 rebounds in the exhibition.
Then you add Miller, who is still thin, as a depth piece. This won’t be a dominant front court. There’s no sure-fire NBA pick there. But LSU won’t be physically overmatched. The Tigers were 319th in defensive rebounding percentage last year. That’s another losing recipe.
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