The Florida Gators were able to make some big splashes in the transfer portal and those players will play a huge role in the 2025-26 season, but as the expression goes–”sometimes the best gets are the ones you already have” and with that in mind the decision from Alex Condon to return to Gainesville registers as some of the best news the program could have this offseason. Prior to NIL it would have been a near certainty that Condon would have headed to the pros following the sophomore season he had, whether that be as a middle of the second round pick and projected, or simply to return to Australia to play in the heralded NBL for a six-figure salary. Now with the ability to make a sizable check while staying in college, Condon will return to Florida to help lead the way for a team looking to back to back while improving all that he needs to in order to ultimately make it to the highest level of the sport.
Utilizing the recent rule that allows players to enter the NBA Draft process and still maintain college eligibility, Condon went to the NBA Combine where he was able to compete alongside other top talent. This was a great opportunity for him to see where he stacked up, but arguably even more important than the combine was the time he spent in individual workouts for teams, of which he did many. These workouts give players more time on the court in front of evaluators than the combine does, and also gives opportunities for face to face conversations where players can ask questions and hear what teams think.
In terms of what Condon heard and what he’ll be looking to improve on, you can start by looking at the three-point shooting. Condon isn’t someone that needs to shoot the ball at a high level to necessarily be effective, but anyone with his length and activity instantly becomes an even more attractive player if he could be a consistent catch and shoot threat. While he did shoot 33% from three last season which looks good in a vacuum it was on just about one and a half attempts per game which isn’t a lot, and his attempts were largely reserved for opportunities where he was left wide open to take as much time as he wants–something he isn’t going to have the luxury of doing in the NBA.
More so than the shooting, there was one central element that most teams keyed in on–strength. There is so much that Condon does really well with his great hands to catch passes and finish, his mobility moving from action to action, and his long strides sprinting in transition–but teams were concerned with the way he got pushed around on the inside on both sides of the floor. Florida loved to play Condon at the power forward spot next to Chinyelu and Handlogten and they will do the same this upcoming season, but NBA teams see him as a center and therefore they will be looking for a higher level of strength in order to handle the monsters at that position. Luckily for Condon, this means he doesn’t have to wait for the fall in order to address one of his biggest areas for growth and he can already get in the gym with Florida’s strength staff in order to bulk up. This will certainly be something to watch for this upcoming season as Condon looks to build a pro-ready frame.
In terms of what this means for Florida, you have to start with the way that Condon plays such an important role in the transition attack that is so pivotal to what Todd Golden wants to do. Playing fast is at the core of Florida basketball and what fueled a National Championship season and a massive part of this was Condon’s play. For starters, he was an outstanding rebounder–and you can’t start flowing in an offensive direction until you’ve secured the basketball. After helping secure the defensive board, Condon was one of the fastest frontcourt players in the country and his ability to sprint downhill and get to the opposing rim first meant one of two things. First, there was the opportunity for him to get an easy dunk with a hit ahead pass or with him sealing his man and allowing a lobbed pass over the top. These were the obvious plays–the ones that ended with buckets that disheartened the opponent. However, the second effect of this was arguably just as important. With Condon getting down the floor first and putting pressure on the rim, opponent defenses would start to contract and help down to take away these easy chances at the rim and that opened up passes to the sideline that resulted in Will Richard and Alijah Martin threes. These plays didn’t result in an assist on the stat line for Condon, but he played the biggest role in creating these open looks.
If playing fast wasn’t the priority for the Gators, it was offensive rebounding. Offensive rebounding allowed the Gators to get through some challenging stretches with halfcourt defense, and often bad possessions were bailed out with an offensive rebound and a putback. Condon finished the season 89th in the country in offensive rebound rate, and his already solid offensive rebounding skills were boosted by being at the power forward spot where he was getting boxed out by a smaller opponent.
Florida had a lot of players in the frontcourt rotation last year, but when it came to bringing something different to the table Condon stood out as the one player the Gators were really comfortable with throwing the ball into for post up opportunities. Again, some of this was due to the favorable matchups he got when at the “4” getting guarded by smaller players, but some was the relative reliability of his right handed hook shot. Condon’s post game was limited but effective, though it’s certainly not something that always jumped off the page. In terms of overall post up efficiency he was in the 50th percentile nationally–so there is certainly an opportunity for him to improve in this area. Even if he doesn’t and he brings the same low post game to the 2025-26 season, it’s likely going to be something the Gators still look to utilize.
As mentioned earlier Condon does have some problems defensively on the interior against more bulky frontcourt players, but when it comes to his versatility and guarding around the court and in switches he was excellent. Condon’s activity, foot speed, and mobility is a major strength and it allowed him to be a tremendous pick and roll and help defender. With the Gators set to play a supersized lineup in 2025-26 they will need their frontcourt players to be mobile and cover a lot of ground, and this is where Condon excels. It will be interesting to see if he can keep his high level of mobility while adding weight, but this will be a challenge that he and Florida’s strength staff look forward to taking on.
The NBA game might be all about perimeter players and shot creators and while those players are still incredibly important in college the frontcourt is still the focus for a lot of teams, and Florida getting back their most important player at this position is massive as they look to repeat as National Champions.
Great write up Eric, thanks!