Jaden Bradley named top 10 initiator point guards nationally

Jaden Bradley is the ninth-best initiator point guard in "Ranking college basketball's best players, by positional archetypes" from Isaac Trotter of On3. Four of the top nine point guards nationally as ranked by Trotter are in the Big XII.

Milos Uzan of Houston is the fourth-ranked initiator point guard as ranked by Trotter, Rob Wright of BYU is seventh and Tamon Lipsey of Iowa State is eighth. Lipsey and Uzan are returning to their programs, while Wright is an intra-Big XII transfer from Baylor.

Starting all 37 games in 2024-25, Bradley set career highs, averaging 12.1 points per game, 3.4 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 1.8 steals. Bradley shot 46.7 percent from the field, 32.1 percent on three-point attempts and 82.7 percent from the free throw line.

Bradley is one of three returning starters for Arizona entering the 2025-26 season with wing Anthony Dell'Orso and forward Tobe Awaka. Freshman Brayden Burries is the likely starter in the backcourt with Bradley. Harvard transfer Evan Nelson gives Arizona another true point guard on the roster.

Bradley has steadily improved his assist-to-turnover ratio throughout his two seasons at Arizona after playing his freshman year at Alabama. The 1.9 turnovers Bradley committed per game were just under a two-to-one assist-to-turnover ratio. The 1.95-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio Bradley had in 2024-25 was a career high.

Bradley is likely to take on a greater scoring role for Arizona in 2025-26 with Caleb Love now with the Portland Trail Blazers organization in the NBA. With Bradley expected to take on more of a scoring role, at least early in the season, he will have to improve his three-point shooting.

In a mostly guard-oriented Big XII, Bradley will be best tested in nearly every game and the most important player on the Arizona roster. As the primary ball handler and leader, Arizona and head coach Tommy Lloyd will expect a lot from Bradley in 2025-26.