As TJ Leaf goes, so goes the UCLA basketball team


The UCLA basketball team unquestionably revolves around Lonzo Ball. But a case can be made that the Bruins’ fate is tied more closely to its other freshman star.

For example, during UCLA’s back-to-back losses to Arizona and USC, Leaf averaged 8 points and 6 rebounds. During the winning streak the Bruins stretched to six games with an 87-75 win over Arizona State last night, Leaf is averaging 19.5 points and 9.2 rebounds.

Leaf led UCLA with 25 points and nine rebounds against Arizona State on a night where Ball put a scare into the UCLA fan base when he landed on Isaac Hamilton’s foot trying to block a shot in the first half. After limping into the locker room, he returned before the end of the half and coach Steve Alford said Ball is expected to be fine for Saturday’s mammoth game at Arizona.

Ball’s four points last night represented his lowest total this season. But he impacts the game in so many ways – he had 11 rebounds and five assists last night – that he has been a significant factor in each and every contest this season. Ball was UCLA’s leading scorer in its loss to Arizona Jan. 21 and he still managed 15 points and 10 rebounds despite a season-high 7 turnovers in the loss at USC Jan. 25.

In part due to the nature of his position and UCLA’s style slanted toward guard play, Leaf has been lost in the fray a few times.

Since losing two of those games, the Bruins have realized how important it is to keep him involved. The numbers suggest Alford has tweaked the team’s approach to ensure Leaf is more of a focal point.

Some evidence of this is a notable decline in 3-point attempts during the six-game winning streak. The team that set a UCLA record by making 20 3-pointers in a game this season is averaging 21.6 attempts from beyond the arc over the last six games. It averaged 25.3 over its first eight conference games.

Leaf himself is a dynamic shooter, making 47 percent of his 3-pointers. But UCLA seems to be trending toward more balance with an inside-outside approach as its 50 points in the paint to Arizona State’s 22 would suggest. Leaf is, after all, UCLA’s leading scorer and rebounder. He leads the Pac-12 and ranks 19th in the country in field goal percentage. If he wants to leave for the NBA after this season, the 6-foot-10 freshman has probably played himself into the lottery.