Guard Denzel Aberdeen is in the transfer portal, and the Florida Gators will have to now readjust some of their roster building ideas as they deal with a loss they weren’t expecting to have.
Could Aberdeen return? Technically, yes–though it is certainly not expected. Perhaps until the ink is dry on his next deal with another team you could hold out hope for a return, but given the situation it does not appear at all likely that he’ll be back in orange and blue. On the assumption he is gone, what will the Gators be losing?
In his junior season with the Gators, Aberdeen averaged 7.7 points, 1.7 rebounds, 1.4 assists, and 0.5 steals in 19.8 minutes per game, putting in 5 starts when the Gators were down some bodies in the backcourt. In the five game stretch where he made those starts Aberdeen did make a few splashes scoring 22 points against South Carolina and 20 against Mississippi State, flashes that had people thinking he could make the leap to full time starter in his senior year and be a productive player.
At 6’5”, Aberdeen was someone who largely played off the ball given that Walter Clayton was almost always on the court and leading the way, though he was the backup point guard in the 6-8 minutes Clayton went to the bench. Known as more of a ball handler in high school Aberdeen has had to adjust to being a complementary off-ball player for many of his minutes, and he did see some nice improvements in that role particularly as a spot up shooter. Aberdeen hit 40% of his catch and shoot threes, and while no one is going to suggest that he was one of the best shooters in the country he became someone that could take advantage of opportunities as he hit 45% of his attempts that were considered “unguarded” by Synergy.
As a ball handler Aberdeen made positive steps as a pick and roll player who could use the advantage created by the screen to get to the middle of the floor. He was largely a score-first operator as opposed to a tactician looking to get teammates involved, though that was a style consistent through many of Florida’s guards and was something that the (Championship) team obviously had success with. Aberdeen finished the season in the 77th percentile in terms of pick and roll efficiency, and while it wasn’t on a large number of attempts it was still a very positive sign.
What Aberdeen will really be known for and where he will be most missed by the Gators is on the defensive end. On a team that didn’t have a lot of length in the backcourt Aberdeen provided a boost off the bench, and when he was in the game he took on the most challenging matchup. His ability to defend was a big reason why he nearly got to 20 minutes per game, and it was a big reason why he was slated to start for the Gators in 2025-26.
While there were a lot of positives to Aberdeen’s game, he was not without his flaws. At times inefficient, his 49% effective field goal percentage and 52% true shooting percentage isn’t anything to write home about–particularly for a player whose turnover percentage was higher than his assist percentage. The drive Aberdeen had to try to score at all times helped him in some instances, but also hurt him at times given his somewhat limited dribble package that saw him get into trouble and force up crooked floaters. Despite being 6’5” and athletic Aberdeen always struggled to score in the paint (30th percentile nationally), missing his fair share of layups and floaters that could have been opportunities to kick out passes to open teammates.
More than his humble production to this point in his career and his defense that has been stellar, the Gators will miss the continuity that comes with a rare player that has been in one spot for three seasons, particularly when the roster around him is changing. There are so many ingredients that go into a National Championship that it can be hard to know which were the most important–but Aberdeen was certainly one of them, and keeping a player like that around will always have value.
From a basketball standpoint and an ability to replace standpoint, Aberdeen plays the position where there is the most depth in college basketball–combo guard. Looking at the players in the portal every year, there are never enough centers to meet demand. There are never enough point guards to meet demand. There are also never enough big wings to meet demand. There are, however, a surplus of guys that are 6’2”-6’5” that can play some minutes at point but are more comfortable off the ball. Given the dollar amount that Aberdeen was set to receive the Gators will be able to use those resources elsewhere and have success. What kind of dollar amount you put on experience and continuity is tough to say, and we can all agree there is huge value there, but as we are seeing in the world of college basketball that is increasingly cut-throat–nearly everyone is replaceable.