How Dylan Disu and Kadin Shedrick could be deployed on the court together

For Texas head coach Rodney Terry, Sunday was spectacular. First, Longhorns forward Dylan Disu announced he would return to Austin to play his super-senior season in burnt orange. Then, Virginia big man Kadin Shedrick told The Field of 68 he intended to join the Longhorns over Duke and Missouri.

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Disu’s words announcing his return were short, sweet, and to the point.

“The show goes on!” he said in his post.

Shedrick was a bit more talkative, but cited a desire to get out of a Cavalier offense where “snail’s pace” might be too kind.

“I think that there’s more to my game that I’m now able to show,” Shedrick said. “I think I’m a better shooter than I was able to show. I think I’m a better decision maker than I was able to show, and I just wanted the opportunity to be able to do those things.”

In 30 games with 15 starts, a handful of DNPs, and seven contests with 10 or fewer minutes, Shedrick averaged 6.2 points and 3.8 rebounds on 65 percent shooting. Disu averaged 8.8 points and 4.4 boards in 36 contests, averaging 19.0 minutes per game. During Texas’ postseason contests, he scored in double-figures in all but the Sweet 16 win over Xavier, where a foot injury limited him to just two minutes of action before he missed Texas’ Elite Eight game with Miami.

Disu, listed at 6-foot-9, and Shedrick, listed at 6-foot-11, will provide the bulk of the rim protection and rebounding capability for the Longhorns in 2023-24, along with some contributions from Brock Cunningham plus 2023 signee and the On3 Industry Ranking’s No. 6 overall player Ron Holland.

The post defense will be strong with just one of Disu or Shedrick plus Holland on the court. Could Texas deploy looks where both Shedrick and Disu provide twin-tower looks on the Moody Center floor at the same time?

“I talked to Coach Terry and the rest of the staff, and I even talked to Dylan himself a couple of days ago about us two playing together,” Shedrick said. “I’m really looking forward to the opportunity of playing alongside him. He’s shown the ability to be able to stretch the court, especially like he did at Vanderbilt. I’m just excited to hopefully man the front court with him.”

Shedrick’s point is a good one as from February 18 to the end of the year, Disu shot 58-of-85 from the field. Those shots weren’t limited to just around the rim, Disu’s midrange work made him a multi-level threat for the Horns throughout the run to the Big 12 Tournament title and the Elite Eight. For the season, Disu was 10-of-32 from three, including a 3-for-4 night versus Baylor on February 25.

If other teams follow Disu out to the perimeter or even the extended midrange, they will likely send either an undersized forward or the main rim protector to follow. Even with a lot of questions about the roster, Disu’s ability to hit midrange to outside shots will often put defenders in conflict. Shedrick should be able to reap the benefits, especially considering his 63 percent career field goal percentage. Plus, a 74 percent career free-throw percentage, including a 79-percent mark from the stripe this past season, hints at a better offensive acumen for the Holly Springs, N.C. native. As stated, that was one of his main reasons for hitting the portal.

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What did it look like for both players last year when sharing the floor with a big? Per EvanMiya.com, whenever Disu and Christian Bishop were on the floor together, a rarity at only 72 possessions across the whole season, they had an adjusted team efficiency margin of -4.0 (a higher value is better). With fellow starter Dillon Mitchell in over 570 total possessions on both ends, the duo had an adjusted team efficiency margin of 13.1, including an adjusted team defensive efficiency of 89.0 (points allowed per 100 possessions with the lineup on the floor, adjusted for the strength of opposing players faced. A lower value is better).

It’s hard to find an analog from Shedrick’s most recent season at Virginia. The closest may be his time on the floor with 6-foot-8 forward Ben Vander Plas. In just over 200 possessions on both ends of the floor, the two had and adjusted team efficiency margin of 15.2.

Those advanced numbers and a simple look at the skill sets offered by each provide a good case for that to be an option for the Longhorns in 2023-24.

That said, there remains more roster-building for Terry and company. Texas awaits a portal decision from Oral Roberts guard Max Abmas, plus any other transfer prospect they intend on pursuing. Similar goes for NBA draft decisions by Mitchell and Tyrese Hunter. Plus, any downstream portal effects could cause a player signed elsewhere to ask out of his letter of intent and become an option for the Longhorns.

Both Disu and Shedrick were courted by Terry to Texas for the ability to show off their talents on both ends of the floor. Both are good enough to do so without the presence of the other. However, as Shedrick indicated, they could team up to cause problems for opponents during Terry’s first year as full-time head coach.