Florida big man and potential first-round pick Alex Condon is declaring for the draft but will leave open the possibility of returning to college next season, Jonathan Givony of ESPN reports.
Condon is ranked as the No. 29 prospect in ESPN’s projections but he’ll maintain his college eligibility as he prepares for the draft. The Athletic’s Sam Vecenie has the 6’11” Condon coming off the board with the No. 37 pick in his latest mock draft.
Condon was named third-team All-SEC after averaging 10.6 points, 7.5 rebounds, 2.2 assists and 1.3 blocks per game in 24.9 minutes for the national champions. The Australian-born prospect didn’t start playing serious organized basketball until he was 16, so there’s room to grow his skills.
He wants assurances he’ll go in the first round — otherwise, he’ll try to help the Gators repeat.
“There’s no way I could go to any other school,” Condon told Givony. “If I have confirmation from NBA teams that I’m in the 15-30 range, if something is guaranteed, I will consider keeping my name in. I have a great situation at Florida. It would have to be something pretty special, my family would have to agree that we can’t turn that down.”
Givony notes that Condon was a significant conduit in Florida’s ball-screen offense with his ability to be a play-maker out of dribble handoffs. He displayed superior ability as a passer and off-the-ball defender, plus a high motor.
“We play through the bigs at Florida,” Condon said. “My job is to get the ball to our guards, and then crush the glass. My defense is NBA-ready. I already know how to switch ball-screens and stay in front of smaller guards, which you need to do in the NBA. I still have a lot of room for improvement, especially offensively. Most guys have been playing a lot longer than me. The next thing I need to tap into is my shooting. I shoot very well in drills but need to transfer that to games. If I come back to school, I will shoot it with more confidence.”
I didn’t notice any particular NBA qualities from him, but it seems like a weaker draft.
I agree. I see him as a backup always. Should stay in school and hone is skills
Watched him play live vs UCONN in the tournament and nothing he did screamed NBA player. Tarris Reed was much better than him in that game.
He’s an nba player – whether now or near future.
There’s very few players (per year) in drafts lately that scream NBA player, unless you “hear” POTENTIAL.
That’s why you see so many first rounders seeing time in the GLeague every year. Or being traded shortly into their careers.
I saw this kid from Florida and see just as much potential in him as I do anyone else outside of the top 5-7 of the draft.
All I see are people saying he doesn’t look like an NBA player. If a single team tells him they’ll take him in the late first round, he would be a fool to go back to college. NBA teams hate upperclassmen so this is probably his last shot at going this high regardless of how well he hones his skills in another year in college. Take the leap, make the money, begin your pro career!