When prospects for the 2024 NBA Draft were deciding whether or not to return to college, one decision surprised many. That was Florida State's Jamir Watkins deciding to return to school. Watkins seemed like a lock to get drafted with some even having a first-round grade for him.
But he's returning to college and entering the transfer portal in hopes to boost his stock next year. Watkins can do just that if he decides to transfer to a program like Oregon, Michigan, or Cincinnati in 2024.
Oregon lands Jamir Watkins
Every year, the Oregon Ducks find a way to become one of those teams that no one wants to play in March. Dana Altman has a lot to do with that, but he also brings in excellent players to his program. Unfortunately for him and the Ducks, they didn't have enough of those last year. Oregon resorted to a six-man rotation at the end of the 2023-24 season.
Injuries played a part in that, but the Ducks were able to make the most of it. They had to win the Pac-12 Tournament to even make the big dance and managed to do so. Once they got there, Oregon took down the sixth-seeded South Carolina and gave Creighton a run for their money. But they ran out of gas in the second overtime and lost by a final score of 86-73.
The Ducks are going to need all the reinforcements they can get. While Kwame Evans Jr., another potential NBA player, is returning, their two leading scorers from last season aren't. N'Faly Dante and Jermaine Cousinard are out of eligibility. Oregon is bringing in TJ Bamba and Ra'Heim Moss from the transfer portal, but neither have the scoring chops that Watkins has.
It sounds simple, but the Ducks simply need to just bring in more good players. Watkins is the best player left in the portal. He would help their program exponentially for the 2024-25 season.
Watkins chooses Michigan
Another program in dire need of an infusion of talent is the Michigan Wolverines. Things are changing in Ann Arbor. Juwan Howard is out and was replaced by former Florida Atlantic head coach Dusty May. May was able to bring former Owl center Vladislav Goldin to Michigan with him after the two made consecutive appearances in the NCAA Tournament.
May didn't stop there. He's also gotten commitments from Alabama's Sam Walters, Ohio State's Roddy Gayle Jr., Auburn's Tre Donaldson, Yale's Danny Wolf, and North Texas' Rubin Jones. While all of those guys are solid players, none of them profile as wings. That was a position the Wolverines had trouble with after Jett Howard left for the NBA the previous year.
Watkins can fill that void. It may be a reason why Michigan is among the list of programs he is considering, via CBS Sports' Jon Rothstein. Getting Watkins would be huge for Michigan to help them compete in the Big 10 again. It wouldn't be a major shock if this was the eventual outcome for Watkins' next stop.
Jamir Watkins transfers to Cincinnati
Cincinnati is also among the schools that Watkins is looking at. They may be the most fascinating one also. The Bearcats were quite competitive in their first season in the Big 12. They were below .500 in conference play but the Big 12 is so loaded that even that can be listed as an accomplishment. They did fail to make the NCAA Tournament however, and fell to Indiana State in the NIT.
This is another program who could use a jolt of offense. Dan Skillings Jr. was their leading scorer at just 12.9 points per game. Cincinnati does return a majority of their team from last year, however, and have already made a big splash in the transfer portal. They nabbed former Texas five-star recruit Dillon Mitchell and have also secured commitments from Arrinten Page (USC) and Connor Hickman (Bradley).
The Bearcats also have two four-star freshmen coming in Tyler Betsey and Tyler McKinley. This offseason has been great for Cincinnati. It can get even better if they find a way to land Watkins.
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