Texas Tech basketball: Strengths and weaknesses of the 2020-21 roster
Strength: Athleticism
Another strength of this roster should be its overall athleticism. That’s an area where we will see a noticeable improvement from last year.
At the top of the list is Terrance Shannon Jr., who may be one of the most athletic players in the country. The 6-foot-6, 210-pound sophomore is being hyped as a potential first-round NBA Draft pick next year because of the explosiveness he displayed as a freshman. Now, if his offensive game evolves and his commitment to defense and rebounding improves, he could be an All-Big 12 performer.
Meanwhile, McClung is also a freakish athlete. There are numerous videos on social media that show his amazing leaping ability and it is clear that he is not your typical 6-foot-2 guard in that respect. That athleticism should allow him to be more of a playmaker than any of last year’s guards were able to be. He’s essentially expected to slide into Davide Moretti’s role as a lead guard and that is a massive upgrade when it comes to explosiveness.
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There are also reports that incoming freshman Chibuzo Agbo Jr. is another elite athlete. At 6-foot-7 and 215 pounds, he’s already got the physique of a grown man and he may remind some of Shannon in that regard.
"“Has always had success slashing and scoring around the basket,” writes 247Sports’ Josh Gershon “Versatile defender due to size, length, strength, and toughness.”"
Fans will also love Tyreek Smith once he finally gets on the floor. The 6-foot-7 former 4-star signee is an explosive leaper who could be a true rim protector for the Red Raiders. He’s drawn comparisons to former Red Raider Zach Smith, who was a fan favorite thanks to his insane leaping ability.
One player with sneaky athleticism is Santos-Silva. Though he’s not going to be mistaken for the second coming of Zhaire Smith, he is a rather explosive leaper for a man of 245 pounds. When I watched his game against Purdue from last season, he looked to me like a more athletic and explosive version of Norense Odiase.
Last year’s team took a step down in overall athleticism from what we saw in the previous two seasons as additions like Holyfield and Chris Clarke were far from explosive. But look for the next version of the Red Raiders to be more in line with what we’ve come to expect from this program under Chris Beard.