With the talent in the transfer portal quickly starting to run out, the Gators now find themselves in a high-stakes recruiting battle for what is easily one of the best players remaining.
Zyon Pullin is a guard from UC Riverside who was one of the most productive players in college basketball last season averaging 18.3 points, 4.3 assists, 4.4 rebounds, and 0.9 steals per game. Putting up those numbers as a 6’4” guard, this is the kind of player that would have huge amounts of interests at any point during the portal cycle but considering that the talent available is largely diminished and Pullin plays point guard, a position of need for a lot of programs, the demand is even higher.
One of the skills Todd Golden has been vocal about looking for in the portal is “usage.” From a statistical standpoint, usage refers to the number of possessions a player is involved in as a primary ball handler or a player that ends a possession with a shot. Functionally, this means Golden wants guys that are capable of making plays with the ball, whether within the flow of the offense or late in a shot clock when there needs to be some one on one play. Last season the Gators had a bunch of players that were most comfortable in low usage complimentary roles–but to win at the highest level you need playmakers who can make things happen offensively as primary initiators.
If there is one thing Pullin brings–it’s usage.
Last season Pullin logged 586 pick and roll ball handling possessions according to Synergy–the second most in the entire country and almost double the highest number a Gator put up last season. He also logged 98 isolation possessions, one of the highest individual amounts in the country. This makes him someone extremely capable shouldering an offensive load, as he was one of the highest usage players in the country last season.
Pullin’s incredible workload and massive statistical output weren’t empty numbers–UC Riverside was winning games and finished 142nd in KenPom, a tremendous number for a program that lived in the sub-250 range just beyond five years ago. While it needs to be mentioned that the Big West isn’t a league known for producing successful high-major transfers in recent years, Pullin’s impact and statistical production is unlike anything we have seen in recent history which makes him an infinitely more intriguing transfer prospect.
After withdrawing his name from the NBA Draft, Pullin announced his final five schools which include Florida, Gonzaga, LSU, Michigan, and Xavier.
Sources say a visit in the near future has been scheduled for Pullin to visit Gainesville, though that information isn’t yet public. There is optimism around the Florida program that they sit in a good position here–though role will be something of a discussion point around the recruitment. Walter Clayton, a transfer from Iona, is the presumed starter at point guard–though there could certainly be an argument made that Pullin could and should usurp him should he come to Florida. Even if Pullin isn’t a starter he’d play plenty of minutes as the Gators don’t have a ton of proven guard depth–though it’s unknown how much starting matters to Pullin with his decision.
Currently there is no timetable on when Pullin will make his decision as he still needs to schedule visits.