Mississippi State basketball is in the midst of a near total overhaul of its roster with the majority of contributors gone from the 2024-2025 team. They're off to a solid start with the additions of UAB guard Ja'Borri McGhee and Wichita State center Quincy Ballard. Over the last week, the Bulldogs have added two more transfers while also missing out on one.
Mississippi State basketball adds length and scoring potential through transfer portal
The time has finally come that Mississippi State has to replace Cam Matthews. The Swiss Army Knife forward was a vital piece to the Bulldog roster over the past three seasons, consistently performing as one of the best defenders in the country while having the ability to provide whatever else was needed in a given game.
You're not going to find a player who can replicate Matthews, but State has found a good option to step in at the four. Kansas State transfer Achor Achor is a big time addition for the Bulldogs. The 6-9, 227 native of Austrailia began his college career at Samford, where he became a dominant player at the mid-major level.
In the 2023-2024 season, Achor averaged 16.1 points and 6.1 rebounds per game while shooting 58.6% from the field. He went for 23 points against Kansas in the NCAA Tournament that year. Achor transferred to Kansas State last season but stepped away from the program after just seven games.
Now landing in Starkville, Achor gives the Bulldogs another good scorer in the front court alongside Quincy Ballard, and Achor also brings some "stretch-four" ability to the lineup as a 41% three-point shooter. Perhaps the best news of all, he's a plus defender, which MSU desperately needs.
State also has to find a new starting wing to replace RJ Melendez, who had a solid season. They've landed on Arizona State transfer Amier Ali. As a true freshman last season, Ali became a regular part of the Sun Devil rotation, averaging 5.5 points and 3.1 rebounds.
He posted seven double-digit scoring games, going for a season-best 18 on 6-7 shooting against a strong Texas Tech team. Ali is a capable three-point shooter, and at 6-8, he gives MSU plenty of length at the three.
Bulldogs miss out on previously committed transfer piece, lose talented freshman to portal
It's not all been good news for Mississippi State in the transfer portal recently. The Bulldogs looked like they had added another great weapon for their front court in former Michigan and Alabama forward Sam Walters. Walters is a talented young player and a legit stretch-four.
But just a few days after his commitment to State, it was announced that he had instead signed with SMU. It's possible not wanting to compete with Achor Achor for minutes played a role here, but regardless, that's tough to have a player committed and then see him sign elsewhere out of the blue.
Adding to the less ideal news, Bulldogs' freshman forward EJ Paymon has entered the portal. The 6-9, 230 Raymond, MS native as the top rated player in the state in the 2024 class. He saw no playing time this season, but it seemed possible he could contend for minutes as a redshirt freshman. Fortunately though, Paymon was not a player State was going to be counting on next year.
Still, Mississippi State could use some more positive news to go their way when it comes to the transfer portal. There are still a few more areas to address on the roster, and given what was lost from last season, this needs to be a strong class.