Texas Tech basketball: Arthur Kaluma would be exactly what Red Raiders need

There are still two spots left for the Texas Tech basketball program to fill before finalizing the 2023-24 roster.  And as it stands right now, new head coach Grant McCasland still needs to add some significant firepower to his roster.  Could Creighton transfer Arthur Kaluma be the perfect solution for the Red Raiders?

Recently, we discussed the needs that this roster still has but we didn’t get into the fact that Tech is also lacking a proven go-to scorer; someone who can be counted on as an offensive catalyst.  That’s critically important to have in any conference but especially in the rugged Big 12 where points can sometimes be as tough to come by as common sense is in College Station.

Kaluma might be a player who could transform the Red Raiders into a legitimate NCAA Tournament team.  Averaging 11.8 points, 6.0 rebounds, and 1.6 assists per game last season as a sophomore in the Big East, he’s more than capable of being the focal point of a team’s offensive attack.

Red Raider fans got a look at his skills first-hand in the Maui Invitational when he poured in 18 points on 6 of 11 shooting to help lift the Blue Jays past the Red Raiders in the opening game of the tournament.  That was one of 26 double-digit scoring efforts Kaluma authored this past season.

Included in that group of games was a 27-point outburst against BYU, a 20-point showing against Xavier, and a 19-point game against Villanova.  In other words, this 6-foot-7 wing can fill it up against stiff competition.

What’s more, there’s reason to believe his best basketball is ahead of him.  Last season, he increased his 3-point shooting by nearly 6% (though at 31.1% from deep, he still has room for growth as an outside shooter).  He also saw significant gains in free-throw shooting (a 6% increase as well) and rebounding (0.6 more per game) while seeing his turnovers decrease by 0.4 per game.

Kaluma recently withdrew his name from the NBA Draft process signaling his return to the college ranks.  But bringing him to Texas Tech will be difficult.  His other suitors reportedly include the likes of Alabama, Texas, and Kentucky (according to ESPN college basketball insider Jeff Borzello).

Think of Kaluma as a potential replacement for Jaylon Tyson, who scored 10.7 points and grabbed 6.1 rebounds per game last season as a sophomore for the Red Raiders.  The two young forwards play similar roles on the court and are essentially in the same bodies (though Kaluma has about 10 pounds on Tyson).

That’s something that Tech has not added this offseason, though many believe that Georgia transfer, Kye’Ron Lindsay, who joined the Red Raiders at the start of the spring semester but was forced to redshirt, might also be a player who can fill that spot.

Still, the thought of having the 6-foot-8 Lindsay and Kaluma playing side-by-side on the wings would have to be more than a bit exciting for Tech fans and for McCasland.  That would give the team a pair of long, rangy, athletic wings capable of guarding multiple positions and who would bring a versatile offensive skill set to the floor.

Kaluma would also be a player that would pair nicely with Tech’s Pop Isaacs, the sophomore guard who is set to return and lead the offense after putting up 11.5 points per game as a true freshman this past season.  Kaluma’s ability to slash to the rim would pair perfectly with Isaacs’ spot-up shooting ability as each would potentially create space for the other to operate in the half-court.

What will be fascinating in this recruitment will be the fact that it will give us another opportunity to see how McCasland can navigate the world of the NIL era and whether he is willing to go all-in on a star player from a big-time program that has offers from schools with even better pedigrees than the one he played for in 2022-23.

So keep an eye on Kaluma’s recruitment.  It is likely to pick up plenty of momentum now that he’s withdrawn from the draft and Tech could be in the middle of the action.  And if this goes the Red Raiders’ way, it would be the biggest addition McCasland would have made thus far, one that could make his team into a force in the Big 12 next season.