Xaivian Lee’s Shooting Struggles for Florida: Temporary or Troubling?
No. 10 Florida has met some unfamiliar resistance to start its national championship defense, shooting 19-for-90 from 3 in its first three games.
Coach Todd Golden has created a winning formula by utilizing analytics and sticking to the 3 ball. For a team that prides itself on its ability to spread defenses out from distance, shooting 21% from 3 and playing from behind is not a model for long-term success.
At the forefront of Florida’s shooting woes is guard Xaivian Lee, the Princeton transfer who came to Gainesville to replace the championship backcourt that shot its way to a Naismith Trophy.
In his first three games, Lee has shot 11-for-41 (26.8%) from the field and 6-for-29 (20.7%) from 3. Lee shot 36.7% from distance his junior year at Princeton, so the shot-making ability is there. What is it going to take to get him more comfortable in faster-paced, more physical SEC play?
For someone who takes close to 10 3s a game, the confidence is there, something all great shooters possess. Golden hasn’t lost confidence in his starting shooting guard either, saying Florida (2-1) is not going to shy away from the 3 despite its size on most collegiate teams.
“He’s getting pretty good looks. We’ll go back and watch it and kind of evaluate the shots that he’s taken and where he’s getting them,” Golden said.
The reality is great shooters are going to have slumps. Walter Clayton Jr., who shot 39% from 3 in his senior year at Florida, shot 33% from beyond the arc in his first three games in the SEC. Clayton Jr. shot 23% from beyond the arc in his first three games in the SEC in 2023.
The biggest issue with Lee is his shot selection. The 3s will eventually fall, but his highest percentage shot from distance is off the catch. An alarming percentage of Lee’s shots have been fadeways off the dribble early in the shot clock. When Lee lets the game come to him, not forcing, he can be lethal.
The bright side is Lee has time to adjust to his new role against lower competition. Before the Gators face off against No. 3 UConn and No. 4 Duke, Florida squares off against Miami, TCU and Merrimack. Those are key minutes for Lee to get back in his groove. Against unranked teams, Florida can compensate for its offensive struggles with dominance on the boards and in transition. It will be nearly impossible to get away with poor shot-making against the blue bloods.
Although Lee has been struggling from the floor, Florida saw a welcome sight with backcourt partner Boogie Fland. Fland scored a season-high 18 points Tuesday, including his first two 3s of the season. Both of his 3s came in the second half to cut the Florida State lead to one possession. Urban Klavzar, who has also been struggling from distance, hit his only 3 of the game to give Florida a 74-70 lead with a minute to go. This is key momentum for both guards going into Duke and UConn.
“Urb [Urban Klavžar] hadn’t been shooting the ball well, either, all year,” Golden said. “But in that moment, went a little more ball-handling, shot-making capability [in our lineup], and he stepped up into a huge 3 to take it to four late, but we need each and every one of those [second half 3s] to get this win tonight.”
Have the reigning champions looked like the same team as last year? No. But it is far too early to start counting the Gators out.
Florida (2-1) faces another in-state rival in Miami (3-0) in VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville at 8:30 p.m. Sunday.
Category: Feature Sports News, Gators Men's Basketball
