How Texas Tech basketball's JT Toppin, Christian Anderson can elevate their games in 2025-26

Returning production is the hallmark of any team in the transfer portal era. While new names will make up the 2025-26 Texas Tech basketball team roster, it's two players who will return to the Red Raiders that have the most weight on their shoulders next season.

Before Grant McCasland could round out next year's roster, he got two big returns in JT Toppin and Christian Anderson. Toppin became the first player in Big 12 history to earn newcomer and player of the year honors in the same season, which earned him consensus second-team All-American honors, leading the team in scoring (18.2 points), rebounds (9.4), field goal percentage (55.4) and blocks (48).

"I know JT ended up as Big 12 player of the year," Grant McCasland said Friday, "but if you look at the start to it, because of the injury and because of his lack of playing, he didn't have a great start. He had a great finish."

Anderson, though, was the first player to announce his return. The all-Big 12 freshman member grew into his role off the bench, playing alongside point guard Elijah Hawkins for much of his 30.5 minutes per game. Anderson averaged 10.6 points per game and shot 38% from 3-point range.

"Everybody's seen his athleticism," McCasland said of Anderson," but I do think it's taken a jump as the season ended, and going into this summer, he's such a great scorer, but he's also a student of the game. He wants to improve in every area and a lot of guys say that, but he actually works at it and does it."

Those two were the starting point for McCasland to fill out next year's team, which will try to bounce back from the deflating loss to eventual national champion Florida in the Elite Eight.

As good as Toppin was last season, there are still several areas the 6-foot-9 big can improve upon.

"We need him to be better defensively," McCasland said. "The better he can get defensively, the more we can get stops, the more we play in transition, the better we'll be."

Improved defense was another focus for McCasland in building the 2025-26 roster. Tech's adjusted defensive efficiency took a jump from 65th during McCasland's first season in Lubbock to 39th last year, according to KenPom. That's a sizeable leap, but defense also prevented Texas Tech from closing things out in several close losses, including the season-ending setback to Florida.

McCasland experimented with switching defenders midway through Big 12 play, which was unsuccessful. It cost Tech the game at TCU and made the home game with Arizona State go to double overtime. Toppin's offense generated the noise, but getting him to be a plus defender is something McCasland hopes to see in his junior year.

Like McCasland, Anderson is participating in the FIBA U19 World Cup in Switzerland this summer. Anderson is part of the German national team and headed overseas to practice a few weeks before McCasland left to join Team USA.

McCasland said he's already seen Anderson's improvement in the weight room and looks forward to seeing what the guard can do with a year of experience under his belt.

"His approach to being a great leader is going to make an improvement," McCasland said. "And as a freshman, he made such a big impact. But it's one thing to go and be a part of it, it's another thing to lead it. I do think he's ready for those opportunities."

This article originally appeared on Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: JT Toppin, Christian Anderson the key for Texas Tech basketball in 2025-26