Basketball may not be on the forefront of many minds with football season looming, but the upcoming campaign figures to be a pivotal one for Texas Tech.

With a non-conference schedule consisting of Duke, Illinois, LSU and a potential matchup with Purdue in the Bahamas, the Red Raiders' slate is loaded.

A reloaded roster consists of returners JT Toppin and Christian Anderson with several star-studded transfers surrounding them. This begs the question- which of these additions will make the biggest impact in their Tech debut season? Our staff break it down.

Obviously LeJuan Watts is the most obvious answer, as he is filling a big role in replacing Darrion Williams. However, another big area that Tech lost from last year was three point shooting. With Chance McMillian and Kerwin Walton graduating, Grant McCasland went into the portal looking for another elite three pointer shooter. Here's where Tyeree Bryan comes in.

Bryan is coming off a season at Santa Clara where he averaged 10.4 points per game, 4.4 rebounds per game, and 2.06 3-pointers made per game. He shoots 41.6% from behind the arc during his entire college basketball career. His three point shooting ability will also fit in nicely with Christian Anderson, and even though his commitment isn't the most talked about, he will add another solid guard for McCasland's rotation.

As all my counterparts have said, LeJuan Watts is the biggest immediate-impact player joining this Texas Tech basketball lineup, especially with the departure of do-it-all forward Darrion Williams, who opted to test the NBA waters and enter the transfer portal.

But I’m going to look at this from a different angle—who will fill that fifth starter spot or become the first man off the bench for Coach McCasland? Last season, that role was primarily filled by Christian Anderson Jr. and Kevin Overton. This year will look a little different, with Anderson expected to be a starter. So, who steps up to fill that void?

Enter transfer Donovan Atwell from UNC Greensboro. In his collegiate career, Atwell has averaged 10 points and 2 rebounds per game, while shooting 43% from the field, 40% from beyond the arc, and an impressive 92% from the free-throw line. He brings experience, having played in 94 career games. At 6'5", he adds much-needed size and length to a Tech lineup that lacked it just a year ago.

With the return of JT Toppin anchoring the frontcourt, Atwell will be able to fill a key void as a reliable three-point threat—especially critical with the departures of Kerwin Walton and Chance McMillian, two of Tech’s primary perimeter shooters from last season.

I believe Atwell will make a major impact for this team. He’s a lethal shooter from deep, and his size and versatility give Coach McCasland and his staff the flexibility to deploy him in multiple roles as the season progresses.

My favorite archetype of basketball player at this level and beyond is a big 6-foot-6 wing who can put the ball on the floor and just go get a bucket. I think that perfectly describes what LeJuan Watts can do and what his expected role will be upcoming season.

It's hard to replace your definitive leader and feel like you could potentially upgrade, but I like the addition of Watts to lessen the impact of losing Darrion Williams. Watts is a superior athlete in comparison to Williams and this will pay dividends on the defensive end of the floor.

With Toppin and someone like Luke Bamgboye occupying the middle, this could allow Watts to be more of a perimeter defender where he wouldn't be sacrificing as much bulk.

A strong suit of Grant McCasland's first two Tech teams was their ability to get out on the break and fashion offense in transition, which Watts' dynamic athleticism fits into like a glove.

Speaking of Bamgboye, his addition may be my second favorite for the Red Raiders for this upcoming year. At 6-foot-10 with a 7-foot-2 wingspan, the VCU transfer should add a much greater shot-blocking presence to go alongside Toppin who was masterful in altering shots down low last year.

As Jarrett said, it's LeJuan Watts out of Washington State. Watts will immediately slide into the starting point forward role vacated by Darrion Williams.

Watts had a monster season as a Cougar last year, averaging 13.7 points, 6.7 rebounds and 4.4 assists per game. Due to injuries he was forced to play more on the ball late in the season and handled the duties admirably. Whispers have been that Watts is ready to take an even bigger leap in Lubbock, and there are a lot of expectations on the shoulders of the 6-foot-6 athletic wing.

That said, an under-the-radar player I'm excited to see is Josiah Moseley. A former top 100 recruit who signed with Villanova, Moseley is another extremely athletic player who has shown out on the international scene as well. Being coached by Grant McCasland and staff should aid in his development, and I see big things in the future for the Round Rock native. Texas Tech fans will hope those big things are sooner rather than later.