Lander's Layup Line: A Great Start for Gators, But Glaring Holes Remain

The Gators should be happy with their undefeated start, but that doesn't mean they don't have stuff they can work on

The Gators could still fine-tune some aspects of their game / Matt Pendleton-Imagn Images

Gainesville, Fla. – Florida Gators men's basketball is off to a 3-0 start to the season. While it’s a record to be satisfied with, it’s hard not to notice a few problems with this team through these first three games. 

One of the biggest holes in this team in this opening stretch of the season is their 3-point shooting. 

Last season, the Gators shot 34.5 percent from deep and had four guys with at least 30 or more 3-point attempts shooting above 34.5 percent. Moreover, three of these players are on the roster right now yet, the shooting has regressed mightily. 

The Gators are only connecting on 26 percent of their 3-pointers through three games and it doesn’t get any better when you look at the individual production either. Only three players are at or above 33 percent from 3 on the year and two of those three players have hit just two 3’s. That’s not ideal for a team that is attempting just a hair over 24 3-pointers a game. 

In addition to the 3-point worries I have about this team, their rebounding efforts also need to improve. 

Now, you might instantly run to the stats on this one and see that the Gators are averaging 39 rebounds a game and their opponents are at 32 per game. That doesn’t tell the whole story though. 

In fact, most of that separation between them and their opponents comes from their most recent win over Grambling State. In this win, the Gators outrebounded their opponents 45 to 24, which is a net positive of 21. But in their previous two game, they were a +5 and -5. This will need to improve soon, which I expect it will. They have the size, the players just need to show more effort. 

Enough with the problems though. People love optimism and I am a man of the people. 

One area of concern for many out there entering this season was if there was enough playmaking on the roster. Well, despite losing their floor general Zyon Pullin, the playmaking still seems to be nearly on the same level. 

The sample size will still need to expand, but the Gators are averaging 14.7 assists per game across these three games, which is only 0.5 less than last year’s average.

It is also not surprising to see that the leaders in this clubhouse are Walter Clayton Jr. and Alijah Martin. Both were going to have to step up in the absence of Pullin and they have. Clayton Jr. leads the team with 4.3 assists per game while Martin slightly trails him with 3.3 assists per game.

However, the playmaking doesn’t stop with just these two. It is actually a team-wide endeavor. Including both Clayton Jr. and Martin, this squad has four players averaging two assists or more and has six players averaging one assist or more. This just speaks to the level of unselfishness on the roster. 

This unselfish play also leads to more healthy and balanced scoring effort. 

The Gators currently have four players averaging at least 12 points per game. Leading the way in this category is, unsurprisingly, Clayton Jr. with 16.7. Although, he is only barely ahead of senior Will Richard who is averaging a flat 16.0 points.

Additionally, having this type of balance will only help them win more games and will make them harder to guard. Teams will need to have a plethora of defenders on the court, which not too many teams will have. 

But all of these stats mean nothing until the big games begin to pop up. These lesser talented teams just show you glimpses of what you can be, not the full picture. 

Luckily for the fans, those will be coming soon. One of their first real tests will be against in-state foes Florida State this Friday and then a couple of games later they get Wake Forest. These games will begin to reveal what kind of team the Gators really are.