Texas Tech basketball: Top questions facing Red Raiders during the offseason

How much will the returners improve?

While it’s fun to speculate on what newcomers Beard will add to the mix and how players like Ntambwe or Smith will make an impact when they finally get to step on the floor, much of this team’s improvement has to come via the improvement of returning players.  That was a huge part of what propelled last year’s team to the Final Four as Moretti, Culver, and even Brandone Francis all made marked improvements over the previous year.

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This year, the only returners were Moretti and Edwards and neither were all that much better than they were a season ago.  We’ve already talked about how Moretti’s numbers dipped and though Edward’s overall numbers went up because his minutes doubled, his points per 40 minutes rose only 1.4 points.

While it seems like Moretti is close to a finished product, it feels like Edwards’ game has another level waiting to be unlocked.  If that happens next year; if he begins to be more of a consistent scorer and his outside shooting improves, he could be as big of a factor in Tech’s improvement as any newcomer.

Another player that needs to unlock a new level to his game is Terrence Shannon Jr.  After an impressive true freshman year that saw him put up 9.8 points and 4.1 rebounds per game, he’s going to be expected to be a major factor as a sophomore.  He too must improve his outside shot and must also take his intensity and effort up a notch or two to meet Beard’s standard.

Speaking of players that need to work on their outside jumper this offseason, Kevin McCullar can become an all-conference caliber player if he can develop his shot before next year rolls around. While his effort and defense are never in question, his offensive game was rather limited this year as he shot just 28.6% from three-point range.  Beard has said that two injuries prevented McCullar from working on his shot the way that he would have liked to have been able to last offseason so hopefully, a healthy summer will do wonders from the player that made the greatest strides during the season.

Even Ramsey, should he return, will have areas that need to improve such as ball-handling, defensive awareness, and decision-making.  The point is that if Tech is going to take a step forward next year, the foundation that is already in place must improve.  That’s what carried the previous two Texas Tech basketball teams to never before seen heights and it’s what need to fuel next year’s squad as well.