The Athletic Ranks Gators High After NBA Draft Deadline

Despite losing key playmakers, the Florida Gators men's basketball team looks like they won’t miss a beat. Granted, losing Walter Clayton, Jr. will inevitably hurt, but they went in a different direction with the upgrades. More importantly, the program managed to bring back key pieces from last season's championship run.

Head coach Todd Golden, with a lucrative contract in hand, leads the charge as the team looks for another repeat. According to The Athletic, the Gators look primed to defend their title in the face of serious threats to the throne.

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Now, if you know The Athletic, you know that they do not effusively praise any team or program vigorously. However, Florida earns that distinction after a much better offseason than anyone could conceivably hope.

Writer C.J. Moore ranked the program fifth overall in his post-NBA Draft withdrawal ranking. Moore breaks down his selections into two categories: returners and new faces. As for the returning players, he discussed the potential potency of a starting frontcourt of Thomas Haugh, Reuben Chinyelu and Alex Condon.

"Last season’s best teams had positional size and elite paint protection,” Moore wrote. “Florida could play a giant lineup that features Thomas Haugh (6-9), Alex Condon (6-11), and Rueben Chinyelu (6-10) up front. Those three played together only three possessions last season, per CBB Analytics, but it’ll be hard to justify bringing one of them off the bench, considering Haugh’s performance in the NCAA Tournament."

Haugh posted double figures in four of the six tournament games, including a 20-point, 11-rebound performance against Texas. Meanwhile, Condon needed to return after suffering a four-game tournament stretch where he averaged 4.7 points, looking lost in the process.

Chinyelu's ability to control the paint and alter shots provided a deterrent for teams that wanted to attack the rim. Instead, the trio should rank among the best in the nation.

On the other hand, the biggest questions remain how Xaivian Lee and Boogie Fland will operate in the backcourt. While each average over five assists per game, neither brings that all-important clutch outside shooting into the mix. Now, that is not to say that they lack the ability, but neither played in games with higher stakes.

Without a doubt, Florida will wear a target on their collective backs. The team will look to make their names off the Gators during the regular season. As a result, the team cannot afford a single letdown and continues to play at a high level. The hunter, thanks to a miraculous postseason run, became the hunted.

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