Film breakdown: Omaha transfer JJ White brings playmaking, sharpshooting to Bears

By Jackson Posey | Sports Writer

After a disappointing season from 3-point land, Baylor went fishing for sharpshooters.

Wyoming’s Obi Agbim (17.6 PPG, 43.7% from three) will lead that group. Oregon State’s Michael Rataj (16.9 PPG, 35.1% 3PT) will contribute from orbit as well. And while that duo handles primary creator responsibilities, it’ll be former Omaha guard JJ White (13.7 PPG, 44.2% 3PT) sliding into the off-ball shooter and secondary playmaker role vacated by Jayden Nunn.

White went on a tear in 2024-25, putting up career-high shooting numbers and leading the Mavericks to their first-ever NCAA Tournament appearance. His effective field goal percentage jumped almost a dozen percentage points (from 48.4% to 59.8%) as his 3-point efficiency skyrocketed. He shot 27.9% on 2.1 attempts per game in 2023-24; last season, that number jumped to 44.2% on 4.4 attempts per game.

Whether or not White can maintain that level of efficiency remains to be seen. Former Duke guard Jeremy Roach notably took a major leap the year before transferring to Baylor, only to regress past his career mean in Waco.

White’s improvement was even more dramatic than Roach’s, which will inevitably raise questions about whether he can replicate it against high-major competition. White recorded 25 points and seven assists with 10 turnovers on 8-of-22 shooting across two games against high-major competition this season (at Iowa State, vs St. John’s).

White is a strong passer and finisher, leading the Summit League with 4.0 assists per game and shooting 53.9% from inside the arc, the highest mark among Omaha’s top six scorers. He’ll likely play a similar off-ball offensive role to Nunn, but with much stronger playmaking chops. He can navigate both pick-and-roll and set play settings.

White will face issues on defense, though. He struggles with positioning and footwork, and though he’s fast enough to keep up with high-major guards in transition, he hasn’t shown the lateral agility necessary to stay in front of them in half-court settings. He’ll need to take multiple steps forward to contribute on that end of the court.

The strong playmaking chops and high-ceiling 3-point shooting render White an intriguing backcourt addition for a team badly in need of depth. He’ll battle for the final starting spot. But whether he’s the fifth starter or the first man off the bench, expect White to have an early green light and spend a lot of time leading the second unit.