A Bigger Role for Florida Gators Guard Denzel Aberdeen?

Florida Gators guard Denzel Aberdeen saw his minutes increase as the season progressed.

Florida Gators guard Denzel Aberdeen / Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports

Every Florida Gators fan and casual observer will focus on players like Walter Clayton Jr., Will Richard or Alijah Martin going into next season, but Denzel Aberdeen should not be a forgotten man for Florida. 

Although Aberdeen only played 312 total minutes in 32 games, he earned the trust of his coaches and teammates around him to end the season. 

Over the final four games for the Gators, Aberdeen logged 10 or more minutes twice and 20 or more twice. So, it looks like Golden became more comfortable with him being on the court.

He even found himself playing more minutes than former Gator Riley Kugel in two of them. 

In those final games, he really put his talents on display against top teams and provided his coach with multiple reasons as to why he should be more in the rotation come next year. 

What to like from Aberdeen

His jump shot looks smooth. There doesn't seem to be any bad tendencies or hitches in the jumper like dropping the ball too low or having to put the ball in unorthodox positions like an older version of Lonzo Ball’s jumper. 

Continuing, Aberdeen is a three-level scorer from what he showed against Alabama, Colorado, Auburn and Texas A&M. Over this stretch, he made 60 percent of his 3-point attempts (6-for-10) and shot 56.5 percent overall from the field. 

And when he was not taking 3s, he was attacking the paint and getting to a push-shot he looks comfortable with, almost like his teammate Zyon Pullin’s. If this is something he sticks to and shows efficiency with, it will only make it harder for defenders to guard him. 

LADIES AND GENTLEMEN.

I HEREBY DECLARE THIS AS THE DENZEL ABERDEEN GAME.

THAT IS ALL. pic.twitter.com/qJDJ7pyUbr

— InAllKindsOfWeather.com (@AllKindsWeather) March 16, 2024

The last of three levels, the midrange, he has not taken as many but has still hit them in limited attempts.

Another detail to point out from his offensive game is his ability to hit these shots off the dribble. There were many times the ball was deferred to him late in the shot clock and he was forced to pull-up off the bounce for tough jumpers. 

Additionally, he can inject more athleticism into the Gator rotation. He has good speed with or without the ball in his hands that can help lead to transition buckets against opponents.

Also, he has the vertical that leads to him elevating over defenders for dunks or athletic reverse layups under or around paint defenders. 

On the opposite end of the court, he brings great size on defense. He is listed as 6-foot-5, 190 pounds on the Gators website. For perimeter defense, this allows him to use his body well and not be moved around by the opponent’s ball handlers. 

In his final-four games of the season, he had a steal in three of them and six in total. Four of the steals came in the SEC Tournament Semifinals win over Texas A&M, which was his most complete game of the season. 

Questions Surrounding Aberdeen

With the good comes the bad. 

One of the more obvious and easiest things to question is his overall experience due to the amount of play over two seasons. 

In year one, Aberdeen played in 12 games and logged just 40 minutes. His sophomore year, he was given 312 minutes in 32 games, both being a significant increase but still not enough to be certain of where he is at in his career. 

Of these 44 appearances, Aberdeen only played 10 or more minutes in 15 of them.

Secondly, something we haven’t seen much of in his limited amount of play has been playmaking ability. He has tallied up 3 assists or more in just two of the 44. 

Everyone can shoot the ball, like Walter Clayton Jr. or his new teammate Alijah Martin, but not everyone can get shooters the open shot. 

So, can he differentiate himself from the rest and bring a POINT guard level of playmaking? That has yet to be seen. 

Lastly, despite the positives on offense talked about previously, he severely lacks the touch from the charity stripe. In his two years at Florida, Aberdeen is shooting 61.3 percent from the line in 31 attempts. This number will need to improve drastically if he continues to be aggressive and drives to the paint. 

While there are still question marks surrounding Denzel’s game going into year three, it is clear there’s a talent within that should be given an increase role on next years team with how he performed to end last season.