When it comes to knowing which players on a team are most impactful you can take a look at stats, talk to fans who love the team, or tap in to a broadcast to see the way that media evaluates things. Those are all great, but if you really want to know which players are most impactful, hearing what other coaches in the league have to say has to be the most informative. Of course this isn’t an avenue most people have, but that’s why it’s notable when I am talking to opposing coaches and regularly hear the same names coming up with who they find to be Florida’s most impactful players.
In terms of who they think is Florida’s best player there is no surprise–it’s Walter Clayton.
When it comes to Florida’s second most impactful player there are a couple of names that fans and media might say, but let me tell you that talking to SEC coaches there is a consensus answer–sophomore Alex Condon.
This won’t shock anyone as Condon is a fan favorite and someone who had huge expectations placed on him by the coaching staff entering the 2024-25 season, but the extent to which coaches in the SEC respect his game and clearly find him to be Florida’s second best player is interesting. Condon has been getting recognized more and more by media who are now placing him in the conversation for second team All-SEC, and buzz about Condon being a future first round NBA draft pick has entered the professional circles.
Going from a freshman to sophomore Condon has increased his production in a number of areas, currently averaging 10.8 points, 8.2 rebounds, 2.3 assists, and 1.5 blocks.
While his assist total isn’t massive, his playmaking ability has been drastically improved and this is an area where he has arguably been most impressive on the offensive and the way he has contributed the most to Florida’s offensive success. Condon isn’t someone who the Gators play through much as the offense doesn’t start with the post players, but he’s someone who is excellent at playing within the flow of the game, reading the defense, and making the right pass. You might be sick of hearing about Condon’s history playing Australian Rules Football, soccer, and water polo on nearly every broadcast–but his experience in these other sports with chaotic player movement and the need to make split second decisions seems to really help him with basketball. Think of the times you have seen Condon take a pass on the short roll after setting a screen and immediately recognizing where the help is coming from to hit an open man, or how many times he has attacked a closeout to throw a lob to Rueben Chinyelu to give him an easy dunk.
There is still work to be done with Condon as in individual scorer as he is limited in post up situations (0.85 points per possession, in the 44th percentile nationally), and as a driver (shooting 30% on spot up driving situations), but he’s still just a sophomore and his advanced skills as a playmaker make up for the average individual creation abilities at the moment.
Where Condon has been most impressive and where he has taken the biggest steps from a year ago are as a defensive player. Playing nearly all of his minutes at the power forward spot this year Condon has been put in a lot of difficult defensive scenarios having to almost always guard players that are smaller and in theory quicker than him but his mobility and footwork defensively have taken huge strides from a year ago to the point that he is one of the best defensive players on the roster. Sure, he might not be someone who can switch onto opponent guards all the time (Florida tried this with him against North Carolina’s 6’1” speedsters, with negative results) but when it comes to opposing wings he can sit down in a stance and take away drives entirely.
Where Condon is really at his best is as a shot blocker. Currently 126th in the country in block rate, Condon has excelled at rotating over from the help side to swat away layups and keep points off the board. There is also a good chance that Condon would have more blocks if he played more of his minutes at the center position where he’d be the primary help option, and the fact that he has so many blocks coming from the “four” speaks to his ability as a help defender.
As you’ve also seen with a number of highlights–it seems impossible to dunk on Condon. Many athletic players have tried, and all have failed. These are electrifying plays that fire up the Florida roster and put seeds of doubt into the offense and these highlights from Condon have an added psychological boost that makes them even more valuable than a single block.
On the glass, Condon has been Florida’s top offensive rebounder (ranking 77th in the country in offensive rebound rate) with this being a huge advantage of playing him at power forward where he almost always has a size advantage. This is an area that opposing coaches always fear when going against the Gators as they know that even when they play a good defensive possession there is a chance Condon overpowers his smaller counterpart and gets the second chance opportunity.
What could define a lot of Condon’s ceiling is whether or not the jump shot comes together. Looking just at the numbers you’ll see 10-23 or 43% from deep which does look great–but it comes on a small sample size on shots that the defense is always daring him to take. Condon is also shooting just 63% from the free throw line, and while there isn’t always correlation between those numbers and future three-point shooting there is some research that suggests there could be. Even if Condon doesn’t ever progress to be an elite three-point option he’s still going to be an effective player at any level of basketball–and perhaps that says everything you need to know about just how good he has been. For so many players at multiple positions shooting the three is the difference between them being a positive impact player or not, but Condon is someone that is playing like one of Florida’s best players even without the threat of a consistent jump shot.
You can’t say enough about the performance of Condon this season and if the Gators continue to have a great year, look for some personal accolades to follow.