UCLA Men's Basketball: Lazar Stefanovic Believes He's Stepping Into Leadership Role for Bruins

Love to see it!

Exciting times are among us as the UCLA men's basketball team has embarked on their summer tour to Spain and we are getting the first official preview as to what to expect from them in the 2023-2024 season. Majority of their roster is quite new and that makes this trip that much more important.

Not only will Mick Cronin and the rest of the coaching staff be keeping an eye out for their go-to scorers, vocal leaders and closing lineups but they also hope that this mix of young talent will be able to mesh and build chemistry away from their normal Westwood location.

However, the Bruins will have some new experience on their side thanks to their newest wing Lazar Stefanovic. He logged two collegiate seasons at the University of Utah and hopes to make his presence felt off the jump.

Stefanovic dropped a double-double in UCLA's first international game on this Spain trip and in a recent media session, the 6'7 sharpshooter revealed that he will look to lead the new group this season when asked what he thinks his role will be

“I’m very ready. Just learning from our older guys … vets like Tyger, Jaime, Dave. They helped put me in a position where I’m ready for this.”

UCLA sophomore Dylan Andrews, on the jump from his freshman to sophomore season

FULL VIDEO 🎥: https://t.co/ENxADjOCFc pic.twitter.com/NiVflnhlAw

— UCLA Men’s Basketball (@UCLAMBB) August 17, 2023

"Well I would say being a leader," said Stefanovic. "Being very vocal, making right decisions. Don't make mistakes on the court because when you are one of the experienced guys on the team, nobody expects you to make mistakes. None of those unforced fouls and make the right decisions so that is something that I would imagine would be my role."

(Via UCLA Men's Basketball)

Stefanovic is already showcasing his upside to Bruins fans as we speak and we are amped to see how his progression continues in his junior season!