Tag: NBA Draft 2023

Could Florida’s Riley Kugel be NBA bound this offseason?

Florida guard Riley Kugel only got better as the 2022-23 college basketball season went on, and now he has to decide whether he should stay in school for another year or head to the pros.

Florida head basketball coach Todd Golden has a ton of roster spots to fill heading into Year 2 with the Gators, but it might be keeping the talent that’s already on the roster that proves to be the biggest challenge. A core of [autotag]Riley Kugel[/autotag], [autotag]Alex Fudge[/autotag] and [autotag]Will Richard[/autotag] next season is a decent one to work with, but there are questions about whether or not Kugel will make it back to Florida for another season.

Although he denied transfer rumors a little over three weeks ago, Kugel’s name has continually come up in draft conversations since. There’s little doubt that Kugel has the skill set to play in the association one day, but could that day come as soon as next year?

If Kugel declares, there’s no guarantee he’ll be selected. Returning for another year would give him a chance to continue his development and evolve into a bonafide first-round pick. That said, Kugel has already made incredible strides over just one season at the college level.

“The jump he made within the SEC play was remarkable,” Golden said regarding Kugel’s play down the stretch, according to 247Sports. “Like you don’t see that very often. You know, I think the last eight or nine games he was averaging close to 20 points a game. I mean, just pretty, pretty impressive stuff.”

Kugel averaged 17.3 points per game on 49.6% shooting for Florida to close out the season. He can finish at the rim and shot 45.7% from three-point range late over the final six games of the year.

There are plenty of reasons for NBA teams to be interested in a 19-year-old that shows such promise. Golden and the Gator Collective will pull out all the stops to get him to stay, just as they did to keep [autotag]Colin Castleton[/autotag] a year ago. But, it’s Kugel’s call whether or not he begins his professional career.

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Victor Wembanyama can palm a basketball with just two fingers and you absolutely need to see this

Victor Wembanyama is still an alien, confirmed.

Victor Wembanyama was already unbelievable. I mean, the dude is out here walking around France as a 7’4 big man while doing things on the basketball court only guards should be doing.

He’s got a floating 3-point shot in his arsenal ready to be utilized at any time. Even Giannis Antetkounmpo thinks the kid is going to be scary. That’s how you know he’s the real deal.

So, in the grand scheme, figuring out that Wembanyama can palm a basket with just two fingers shouldn’t be that unreal. Yet, here we are. Every time I watch this video I’m just taken aback by it. He’s really palming the ball…without using his palm.

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YOOOOOOOOOO. COME ON. Y’all didn’t even peep that Wemby’s pointer finger isn’t even touching the ball there.

That’s just unreal, man. How in the world? This dude is truly a basketball alien, man. This is Wilt Chamberlain stuff.

Obviously, this has nothing to do with playing basketball and palming a ball won’t determine if Wemby is good when the time comes. But, man. This is still pretty impressive and is just another addition to the list of unfathomable things this kid can do.

Can’t wait til he hits the NBA.