Now that the basketball portal has closed, let’s take a look at a handful of the biggest losses and additions for SEC teams the past month.
I started the day with the losses, now let’s look at the biggest additions.
Kentucky gets Jayden Quaintance
It’s hard to do better than adding the No. 1 player available and one of the most talented players to ever hit the transfer portal.
The only reason he isn’t testing the draft this year is because he’s too young, but even with that lack of age, Quaintance was one of the best big men in college basketball last season before he got hurt.
He only averaged 9.4 points per game, but after a slow start to the season, he really heated up in Big 12 play, plus he averaged 7.9 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 2.6 blocks per game.
He is going to be a tough scout when Missouri faces the Wildcats next season.
Auburn gets Keyshawn Hall
Auburn had a lot to replace this offseason after losing every member of the Starting 5 the took the Tigers to the Final Four.
Adding Keyshwan Hall is a good start to replacing all that production.
Hall was one of the better scorers available, especially among big men, at 18.8 points per game last season, while he also added you 7.1 rebounds per contest.
This will be Hall’s fourth stop in four years, but he has produced well at both of the last two.
Auburn gets KeShawn Murphy
And just to mess with all the writers covering the team, the Tiges added another spelling of the same name with KeShawn Murphy, pulling him from Mississippi State.
With both Keyshawn and KeShawn in the front court, Auburn should have the big-man firepower necessary to replace the likes of Johni Broome.
Murphy averaged 11.7 points, 7.4 rebounds, 1.6 assists and 1.1 blocks per game last season for Mississippi State and he brings three years of SEC experience, though none as a regular starter.
He did average 24 minutes per game last season though, so it shouldn’t be a massive step up in terms of what Auburn is asking from him.
Florida adds Xavian Lee
The Gators also had a ton of production to replace from their national championship team, and Xavian Lee is a solid start.
Florida pulled Walter Clayton up from Iona and he turned into one of the best guards in the country, now they have pulled Lee up from the Ivy League hoping for a similar outcome after he averaged 16.9 points, 6.1 rebounds and 5.5 assists last season.
Lee spent his past three seasons at Princeton and has been an elite scorer each of the past two seasons since joining the starting lineup.
Tennessee brings in Ja'Kobi Gillespie
Once again, one of the top teams from last year has a lot of production to replace, there was a dominance from older players across the conference last season.
Tennessee pulled in an excellent scorer and 3-point marksman in Gillespie to help run the next Volunteer offense.
He averaged 14.7 points per game last season at Maryland, but 17.2 the year before at Belmont.
In his lone year in the Big 10, Gillespie shot better than 40 percent from 3 on almost six attempts per game, while also dishing out 4.8 assists per game and poking away 1.9 steals per contest.
Gillespie will be a name to look out for when Missouri and Tennessee match up next year.
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