Guard play was one of the Florida Gators’ strengths on their way to a National Championship in basketball, and the graduation of Walter Clayton, Alijah Martin, and Will Richard to the NBA meant the Gators had some big shoes to fill. This was accomplished by landing two of the top point guards in the transfer portal in Princeton’s Xaivian Lee and Arkansas’ Boogie Fland. Adding to the guard rotation was AJ Brown, the brother of Isaiah Brown–a sophomore who had some excellent flashes during his first year in Gainesville. Adding to the depth and excitement in the backcourt is incoming freshman Alex Lloyd, a silky smooth scoring guard with length who is expected to compete for a role right away.
Perhaps lost in the shuffle is returner Urban Klavzar, the undersized Slovenian point guard who came to the Gators after multiple years of professional basketball in Spain. When he came to Florida his small stature and lack of athleticism or quickness was seen as a concern, but his experience, savvy, and shooting ability was seen as a unique skillset that he’d bring to the roster.
Things didn’t get off to a great start for Klavzar who wasn’t ruled eligible to play during the first weeks of the season as the NCAA sorted his situation following his multiple years of professional basketball as mentioned before. Ultimately he was cleared, and ruled a sophomore–something that did seem more than fair given his pro experience. While it was a breath of relief that Klavzar was finally eligible, he missed early games against South Florida, Jacksonville, and Grambling State that could have seen him build chemistry with teammates and showcase his skills to earn extra minutes.
From there, Klavzar was a seldom-used reserve piece until a stretch in the SEC season when Clayton and Martin missed time, and Klavzar was able to give strong minutes off the bench as a handler and ball mover that allowed the offense to continue operating. He performed admirably in this reserve role, but when it got to crunch time in the NCAA Tournament Klavzar didn’t see action past a couple of minutes against UConn and Maryland.
Now, back for his junior year of eligibility, Klavzar is ready to push for a more consistent role off the bench.
Klavzar’s dedication to fighting for a consistent rotation spot was shown when he chose to stay in Gainesville throughout August instead of going to play for Slovenia in FIBA’s Eurobasket competition, arguably the most competitive international competition in the world due to the level playing field in that continent. Instead of competing for his country and going up against top NBA and Euroleague talent, Klavzar decided to stay in Gainesville where he would regularly see his coaches, teammates, and training staff and be able to hit the ground running in training camp.
Last season, many of the issues that kept Klavzar from playing more were related to the fact that he is someone who is clearly at his best with the ball in his hands as a decision maker and pick and roll ball handler. The thing was, as you can remember–this primary ball handling role belonged to star Walter Clayton whenever he was on the floor. When it came to surrounding Clayton, Florida needed off ball excellence such as shooting off the catch and cutting–something that Klavzar wasn’t as used to. This made the fit a bit clunky at times when Klavzar played alongside Clayton, and he didn’t always take advantage of his minutes playing a role he wasn’t completely comfortable with. Klavzar had a slow start to the season when it came to shooting catch and shoot threes and providing spacing, but he improved greatly in the second half of the season and finished the year hitting 37% of his catch and shoot threes–something that will be key whenever he is playing alongside Xaivian Lee or Boogie Fland.
Creating out of the pick and roll might be the biggest strength for Klavzar, but it might be difficult for him to get a lot of those reps behind Florida’s heralded guard transfer class. Lee is someone who is going to have the ball a ton and loves to operate out of the pick and roll, though Fland isn’t as much of a pick and roll ball handler and there could be opportunities for Klavzar to handle the ball a bit more when he’s out there with Fland. It’s also worth noting that Fland is a lethal shooter off the catch and Florida should be looking for opportunities for him to shoot off the catch, and Klavzar is definitely capable of creating those looks, especially as a secondary option when Lee is on the bench.
Skill and IQ have never been an issue for Klavzar, but physical gifts have been. Florida lists Urban Klavzar at 6’1”, but in Europe he was listed at 5’10” or 5’11”–something that matches the eye test a bit more when you see him against SEC athletes. The height limitations haven’t done much to slow Klavzar down on the offensive end, but it certainly has been a hindrance on the defensive side–especially since he doesn’t possess the quickness that many similar sized guards do. Watching the tape there were a lot of times that Klavzar struggled with perimeter defense and fighting over screens, and that would be supported by the numbers as well. Sportsradar has Klavzar as an 8th percentile defender in pick and rolls and a 3rd percentile defender in spot up situations, making him one of the worst defensive guards in the SEC in these categories. Another number that jumps off the page is the fact that opponents shot 69% at the rim while being contested by Klavzar, likely a result of his lack of size as much as anything else. Todd Golden is a defensive-minded coach first and foremost, and while he holds all of his players to a high standard on the defensive end, he is especially demanding of his bench players. For Klavzar to ever settle into a bigger role he is going to have to be more competitive on the defensive end, and he might be a lot better in this area in year two in the NCAA now that he has adjusted to the size, speed, and style of play.
It’s clear that Florida will be starting Xaivian Lee next to Boogie Fland, with it already being confirmed that Thomas Haugh will start at the “three.” Behind those starting guards is a number of interesting pieces, and while it might be most exciting to bank on the play of young players like Isaiah Brown and Alex Lloyd to push for the biggest role, a second season breakout for Urban Klavzar who now understands the American game could very well be in the cards.
Great article Eric.
I am cheering for Urban to establish his “niche”. in a recent article Chris Harry suggested Urban may average up to 18 minutes a game. That would bode well for U-K and the Gators.
One has to admire his “stroke”, he demonstrated that in spades against Auburn on the road.
I hope Todd finds that particular niche for Urban to fulfill his promise. Dropping those rainbows is fun to watch and is a potentially lethal weapon for the Gators.