One of the highest-profile names in the transfer portal picked Texas on Thursday night, with Oral Roberts transfer guard Max Abmas, a Texas native, announcing his commitment to join Rodney Terry and the Longhorns. Abmas is most known for leading Oral Roberts to the Sweet 16 in 2021, when he scored 25 points in three straight NCAA tournament games to become one of the stars of March.
There’s no question Abmas has his limitations. He graded out as a poor defender at Oral Roberts, and consistently having to defend bigger, more athletic guards in the Big 12 could cause even more problems on that end of the floor. Abmas has also had the benefit of playing in a system with elite floor spacing, which has given him more room to operate in ball screens and helped him gain advantages off the bounce. As of now, the Texas roster severely lacks shooting: Abmas’s likely backcourt running mate, Tyrese Hunter, shot 34% from deep last season. And there’s a good chance the Longhorns will play some two-big looks with Dylan Disu and Virginia transfer Kadin Shedrick on the floor together.
Plus, since his electric showing in the 2021 Big Dance, Abmas has struggled some in games against high-major competition. He was held to just three points on 1-of-13 shooting against Houston early in the ’22–23 season, and Duke limited him to 12 points on 15 shots and five turnovers in the NCAA tournament this year. Even in more productive games, like a 20-point showing against TCU in the ’21–22 season, it took Abmas 21 shots to get to that threshold.
