Bio Blast: LSU guard Dedan Thomas Jr.

The transfer portal is open for business. Once the clock struck midnight on Tuesday, the two-week window clock started ticking. A new name to watch for the Kentucky Wildcats has surfaced, too.

LSU star Dedan Thomas Jr. announced on March 25 that he plans to enter his name into the transfer portal. KSR reported late Monday night that Mark Pope is expected to be involved in Thomas’ recruiting process. A 6-foot-1 junior out of Las Vegas, Thomas will have one year of eligibility remaining at his next stop.

Recruiting a high-level point guard this offseason is a top priority for Pope and the Wildcats. Thomas currently ranks as the 11th-best overall player and third-best point guard in the portal, per On3. Let’s get to know him a little bit better in another edition of KSR’s Bio Blast.

Two years at UNLV, another in the Bayou

Thomas was a highly-regarded recruit out of Liberty (NV), finishing 35th nationally in the 2023 class by the Rivals Industry Ranking. After being named Nevada Gatorade Player of the Year, he elected to follow in his father’s footsteps, committing to UNLV where his dad, Dedan Thomas Sr., was an All-American Honorable Mention in the early 90s.

From day one as a true college freshman, Thomas made an impact. He started all 34 games for the Rebels in 2023-24, averaging a team-high 13.6 points, 5.1 assists, and 2.6 rebounds in 34.9 minutes per outing while shooting 44.9 percent from the field and 36.2 percent from deep. That production was good enough to land him a spot on the All-Mountain West Second Team while sharing Mountain West Co-Freshman of the Year honors. The highlight of his season was a 29-point outing against San Diego State in the Mountain West Tournament.

Thomas’ sophomore campaign produced similar results: a team-high 15.6 points, 4.7 assists, and two rebounds in 35.8 minutes per contest while shooting 41.3 percent from the field and 35.3 percent from deep. Despite missing some time due to a shoulder injury, he earned All-Mountain West Third Team recognition. But UNLV never found real team success during Thomas’ time in Vegas. The Rebels went 21-13 in his first season before posting an 18-15 mark in year two.

After two seasons at UNLV, Thomas hopped in the portal and landed at LSU as a top-ranked transfer. He got off to a hot start, scoring in double-digits in 12 of his first 13 games. But a left foot injury spoiled his season once SEC play began. Thomas ended up appearing in just 16 games in 2025-26, averaging 15.3 points, 6.5 assists, and 2.7 rebounds in 29.4 minutes per outing before going down. With a head coaching change happening for LSU in the offseason, Thomas decided to go into the portal a second time.

What the advanced stats say about his game

Thomas is a high usage ball handler who fits the mold of a true point guard. Despite having the ball in his hands so often, he posted a high assist rate (39.7 percent; 99th percentile) combined with a low turnover rate (10.8 percent; 74th percentile), per CBB Analytics, this past season. He’s a career 34.6 percent three-point shooter, but not on high volume. Where Thomas does most of his scoring damage is inside the arc and at the free-throw line.

The all-in-one advanced numbers are high on Thomas’ game. Last season, he graded out in the 94th percentile or better in RAPM, Win Shares, and PER, but keep in mind that he only appeared in four games against Quad 1 and 2 opponents before the injury bug hit. His advanced stats are slightly skewed by playing against weaker competition while at LSU. But he still graded out well in those same categories in both seasons at UNLV.

It’s Transfer Portal SZN on KSR+

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