According to Verbal Commits, more than 1,600 Division I players have entered the transfer portal this year — nearly 30% of all DI men's college basketball players. But even with so much player movement, some individuals still manage to draw attention when their name hits the portal. One such recent player was Wisconsin wing AJ Storr.
Storr was a Second Team All-Big Ten honoree in his first and likely only season at Wisconsin. A jump to the NBA is possible, but if AJ Storr spends another year in college, here are the ideal portal destinations for the Wisconsin wing.
Scouting AJ Storr
After earning Big East Freshman of the Year honors at St. John's in 2022-23, AJ Storr had a breakout campaign this year as a sophomore at Wisconsin. The 6-7 wing averaged 16.8 PPG, 3.9 RPG, and 0.9 APG while earning Second Team All-Big Ten honors. Storr finished with an offensive rating of 106.4 while shooting 32% from beyond the arc and 48.3% from two.
With the ability to score at all three levels and a proclivity for creating his own shot, Storr has NBA-level potential but will need to improve his efficiency. The Wisconsin wing shot just 33% on field goals away from the rim in 2023-24 and his offensive rating was 38th among the 47 Big Ten players who averaged at least 10 points per game. He also finished last on the Badgers in Defensive Box Plus-Minus (-0.9) while averaging nearly two turnovers for every one assist.
The potential is there and Storr frequently demonstrated his scoring ability this past season. His ability to up his efficiency and improve the other areas of his game will be the difference between another fine college season and a lofty NBA Draft evaluation.
Ideal Fits
Illinois
The Illini are coming off their best season in nearly 20 years with an Elite Eight Appearance but are losing a significant chunk of their scoring with Terrence Shannon, Marcus Domask, and Coleman Hawkins likely all pursuing professional opportunities. The program already added a solid scorer in the portal with Louisville wing Tre White (12.3 PPG) but White is much more of an interior player who scores in the post. AJ Storr thrives on the perimeter and as a mid-range scorer, and he has the firepower to be a lead scorer for Illinois, unlike White.
Arkansas
Kentucky was one of AJ Storr's rumored destinations when he first hit the portal, so it should make sense that John Calipari's move to Fayetteville puts Storr at the top of Arkansas' wishlist. Calipari will be working with a blank slate in the SEC, but the addition of Storr would give the Razorbacks a high-level player to build around as they look to contend in 2024-25.
With the Tyson Chicken family as Arkansas' main booster, the program might meet Storr's $1 million NIL evaluation as well.
Kansas
AJ Storr already turned down a $750,000 NIL offer from Kansas as the deal did not meet his requirement of $1 million per year. That does preclude a counteroffer from the Jayhawks in the future — especially if freshman Johnny Furphy declares for the NBA Draft. Kansas has already added Riley Kugel and Zeke Mayo in the transfer portal, but the loss of Furphy would leave the Jayhawks with a notable gap at the small forward spot.
With wings at a premium in the portal, Kansas might be forced to meet Storr's $1 million evaluation whether they want to or not.
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