As Florida searches for guards to replace the outgoing trio of Walter Clayton, Alijah Martin, and Will Richard they find themselves in the mix for a talented young guard–James Madison’s Bryce Lindsay.
Lindsay just completed his freshman year of eligibility playing for James Madison, though he started his career at Texas A&M where he didn’t see the floor in SEC play and was able to get a redshirt year. The 180th ranked player in the class of 2023 he had a lot of offers from strong mid-major programs but didn’t have a ton of high-major offers, so he took the Texas A&M offer to get to the highest level and while that didn’t work out right away he is clearly back to being someone who can compete at that level after showcasing his abilities at James Madison. The Dukes didn’t have quite as good a season as they did a year prior where they not only made the NCAA Tournament but beat Wisconsin in round one, but it was still a good year that saw them competing at the top of a very good Sun Belt conference, and Lindsay played a huge role in that success.
Listed at 6’3” and 195 pounds, Lindsay is a combo guard that could give you minutes at the point or on the wing. At James Madison they often played three guards and Lindsay was the one guarding the opposing team’s small forward, but from a skill set standpoint he’s a scoring guard who can make plays with or without the ball in his hands. This past season Lindsay averaged 13.4 points, 2.8 rebounds, and 2.2 assists, numbers that certainly jump off the page for a freshman. Even more notable is the fact that he hit 41% of his threes while taking a whopping 6.9 attempts per game, so he is someone who proved himself as a shooter. Most of these threes came off the catch, and if he didn’t have a defender in face–it was game over. Lindsay hit 53% of his “unguarded” threes according to Synergy, so if he’s left open he is certain to punish the defense.
With the ball in his hands Lindsay has an explosive first step, and when you see the burst he possesses you can see why Texas A&M labeled him an SEC athlete out of high school. Sun Belt defenders struggled to move their feet to stay in front of him and it seemed like Lindsay could get a paint touch whenever he wanted. Of course, a move to the high-major level would bring on some more challenging matchups, but his ability to blow by most defenders in the Sun Belt suggests he’ll still be able to beat a lot of defenders in other leagues. Since James Madison was loaded with guards Lindsay didn’t get a mountain of pick and roll opportunities but he still got a good amount, and he took advantage of those chances when he got them. Lindsay was in the 83rd percentile in terms of pick and roll efficiency as a ball handler, all set up by his threat to pull up behind the screen and shoot and his ability to get downhill and get all the way to the rim.
Another positive of Lindsay’s game is his ability to guard. With a lot of mid-major guard prospects the offense isn’t as much of a question as the defense, but ability to guard isn’t going to be a problem with Lindsay. This is another area where you can see why Texas A&M thought he was an SEC player as his foot speed, length, and competitiveness allow him to be a tremendous perimeter defender. At 6’3” he might be somewhat limited to guarding the point guard and shooting guard positions at the high-major level, but he’s going to do well in those matchups.
Lindsay recently released the list of final schools he’s considering which consisted of Florida, Villanova, Vanderbilt, Clemson, Miami, USC, and Indiana. A native of Maryland, the Terrapins were considered a name to watch when Lindsay entered the portal but as you can see they didn’t make the cut. It’s also worth noting that Lindsay attended IMG Academy, so he has familiarity with the state of Florida.