Lee, Fland Headline Florida Gators' New Guard Rotation

GAINESVILLE, Fla.-- When the Florida Gators landed guards Boogie Fland and Xavian Lee from the portal, you could see head coach Todd Golden at work. 

Coming off a national championship, the scoring punch of the backcourt in Walter Clayton Jr. and Alijah Martin headed off to the NBA Draft. As a result, the need for two starters became a priority. 

Golden grabbed Fland and Lee out of the portal from Arkansas and Princeton, respectively. Now, what will that backcourt look like? During Tuesday’s media availability, Golden discussed what the guards' on-court chemistry will develop into.

"From a personality standpoint, I'm very confident about that. I think they're both awesome young men, mature,” he said. “And I think one thing, knock on wood, that we've done a good job of with transfers is we get on the same page before we bring them in to make sure that there's as little issue in that process as possible. So we recruited them both pretty intently, and I say with intention for specific roles in understanding what they're going to do and their attitudes and their personalities, the people they have around them, you know, we're all good in our books.”

Credit goes to the coach with a national championship and the freedom to breathe. Bringing in two ball-dominant guards would normally be a recipe for disaster. Who controls the offense? Who gets to shoot the ball? If you watch Florida's offense under Golden, you will see someone that truly does not mind deploying more than one lead guard at the same time. 

In essence, Fland and Lee become co-leaders.

Now, that may initially sound improbable but look deeper. Lee, for now, is the much stronger guard from a physical standpoint. Plus, he uses that mass to defend and grab rebounds. Ivy League or not, averaging 4.5 boards when some low-post players are afraid to hit the glass is a benefit. Look for him, from the defensive standpoint, to guard the shooting guard, who is bigger and stronger than point guards. 

Meanwhile, Fland could operate as the ball handler the majority of the time. His 1.4 turnovers lead you to believe that he takes care of the ball. At the same time, he embraces that Bronx mentality and flashes a fearless nature, an ability to get to the rim, absorb the contact, and still finish. 

Both guards will see more than their share of wide-open shots as teams want to crash down on Conlon and Haugh. In return, wide-open threes will see their shooting percentages rise. Additionally, opposing teams should be less apt to press them since the Gators will roll out two starting point guards with excellent handles and shooting in the neighborhood of 80% from the line. 

Unlike the old football axiom of "when you have two quarterbacks, you have none," the Gators' ability to play two accomplished point guards at the same time will strengthen the team as a whole. 

Defending a national title is tough enough. However, ball handling, leadership, and passing will suit them well

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