Saturday, the Texas Tech basketball program made a huge splash via the transfer portal. Securing a commitment from Washington State forward LeJuan Watts, the Red Raiders added one of the top players in the portal to a roster that is expected to compete for a Big 12 title next season, thanks in large part to the returns of JT Toppin and Christian Anderson.
Watts is a 6-foot-6, 230-pound forward who is an extremely versatile player. This past season, he averaged 13.7 points, 6.7 rebounds, and 4.4 assists as a sophomore.
In his two years as a collegiate, he started 34 of the 66 games he appeared in. In 40 of his games, he has scored in double figures. What's more, he has recorded ten double-doubles.
There is no question that Watts has been brought into the fold to replace Darrion Williams. Though there is still a slim chance that Williams could return to Lubbock for his senior season, the fact that Watts was one of Tech's top targets is a sign that the program is planning on moving forward without Williams, who has entered the transfer portal and put his name in the NBA Draft.
NEWS: Washington State transfer forward LeJuan Watts has committed to Texas Tech, he tells @On3sports.
— Joe Tipton (@TiptonEdits) April 13, 2025
The 6-6 sophomore averaged 13.7 points, 6.7 rebounds, and 4.4 assists per game this season. Scored 22 points on Georgetown in The Crown. https://t.co/Ue20rqwJST pic.twitter.com/0Uj0drf2be
Washington State transfer LeJuan Watts announces his commitment to Texas Tech. Was one of the best available players in the portal, will create matchup nightmares alongside JT Toppin. Averaged 13.7 points, 6.7 rebounds and 4.4 assists. Tech creeping up the Way-Too-Early rankings. pic.twitter.com/XKeEioEPut
— Jeff Borzello (@jeffborzello) April 13, 2025
Now, the Red Raiders know that they have a capable small forward who can fill up the stat sheet in ways similar to Williams. Given that Williams might not make his decision about next season until the middle of June when college underclassmen must either decide to return to school or stay in the draft, Tech could not afford to sit by and let fantastic players find a home elsewhere while waiting on the Williams saga to play out.
In Watts, Tech has found maybe the best possible option to man the small forward spot for 2025-26. According to 247Sports.com, Watts is a 4-star transfer and the No. 25 overall player in the portal as of Saturday night.
It's been quite the rise to stardom for the Fresno, California, native. When he left high school and signed with Eastern Washington in the class of 2022, he was an unranked recruit.
After taking a redshirt season in 2022-23, he averaged 9.4 points, 4.9 rebounds, and 1.7 assists per game for Eastern Washington in 2023-24. Then, he jumped to Washington State where he saw better competition in the West Coast Conference.
He answered the call last season by taking his game to a new level and now, he's going to try to do that again after jumping into the fray in the Big 12, arguably the toughest conference in the country.
Watts wasn't the only transfer target in Lubbock this weekend, but he was the most coveted. Now that he is on board with the Red Raiders, fans as well as those inside the Texas Tech program, can breathe a bit easier while waiting to find out what Williams decides to do.
Some might even begin to wrap their heads around the likelihood that Williams' days in Lubbock are over, as it would seem like there might not be room for both he and Watts on the same roster, given that they are essentially the same player. Tech couldn't afford to sit idly by and wait until this summer to fill this role. When a player of Watts' caliber is available, you have to act fast, and that's what the Red Raiders have done.