UCLA Basketball: Mick Cronin Sees Defensive Player of the Year Upside in New Transfer

Cronin is excited about this transfer's potential.

Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Jaylen Clark, Adem Bona, and now Kobe Johnson?

Former USC standout Kobe Johnson transferred to UCLA men's basketball this offseason, and Bruins head coach Mick Cronin sees a big season incoming for Johnson, a player he believes will for sure 'get drafted' after his college career. Cronin praised Johnson's potential as a defender, even comparing him to former Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year Jaylen Clark.

“Kobe Johnson’s as good a defensive player as Jaylen Clark, and that’s as high of praise as I can give anybody," Cronin told CBS' Jon Rothstein on his podcast "College Hoops Today". "I think he’s a guy that’s going to get drafted for sure, and has got a chance to be Defensive Player of the Year nationally.”

Cronin's UCLA teams have had the back-to-back conference Defensive Player of the Years in Clark and Bona, and Johnson appears ready to take the reigns as the next Bruins' defensive star. In addition to being the Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year, Clark also won the Naismith Defensive Player of the Year in 2023, which Cronin believes Johnson is capable to winning.

Johnson comes to UCLA after three years with USC. He is coming off his best season with USC as a junior, when he averaged 10.9 points, 4.6 rebounds, 3.3 assists, and 2.2 steals per game in 2023-24. The 6-foot-6 guard made the Pac-12 All-Defensive Team each of the last two seasons, and looks to do the same in the Big Ten this year.

Johnson is the key defensive addition for the Bruins this season. Cronin also brought in transfers Skyy Clark, William Kyle III, Eric Dailey Jr., Dominick Harris, and Tyler Bilodeau this offseason. The Bruins overhauled their roster following a disappointing 16-17 run in 2023-24. Last year, UCLA failed to even qualify for the NCAA Tournament.

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