Who I Watched (3/23): Alex Condon, Alex Karaban, Thomas Haugh, Walter Clayton Jr.
Part 2 of March Madness thoughts on UConn vs. Florida.
Here is Part 2 of some draft-related thoughts from UConn vs. Florida on March 23, 2025.
Alex Condon (Florida)
BOX SCORE: 5 PTS (1/2 FG, 0/1 3P, 3/8 FT), 7 DREB, 4 AST, 1 TOV, 0 STK, 0 PF in 28 MINS
Alex Condon had a non-eventful contest against UConn. My main takeaway was how quiet he was, which does concern me a little because I’m actually not very high (or lower than the apparent consensus, I guess) on the Australian forward.
Condon intrigues me to an extent with his mobility and shotblocking. His numbers this season are decent and reflective of a functional athlete with two-way feel (1.4 blocks per game, 5.8 BLK%, 31 dunks, 12 TOV%, 1.9 A/TO).
The Gators prospect had some bright moments against UConn, including rim protection with impressive verticality.
Condon was sturdy in space with fluid hips and active feet. He’s a very good mover with a background in Australian football, cricket, and water polo.
Condon was also solid in the post. He pushed Samson Johnson (6-10, 225) and Tarris Reed Jr. (6-10, 260), two big bodies, away from their spots down low while contesting smartly without fouling.
Focusing on the other end, Condon’s scoring was done through rolls and cuts. As I'll dive into, he can play out of (D)HOs and pitch-offs, so he'll have scoring opportunities out of picks and slips.
Condon finished with four assists vs. UConn. This first clip is my favorite with how under control and accurate he is on the short roll.
In general, I think that the Aussie prospect makes solid decisions and sees the floor well. Condon can be apprehensive with his moves at times, which limits their effectiveness, but his reads are generally encouraging and fairly quick.
The idea with Condon’s handle is similar — getting into handoffs or keeps, maybe attacking off the catch here and there — but I think the execution tends to be pretty raw. Condon alternates bright moments with green flashes on a regular basis, and he needs to be careful about not forcing passes to teammates in disadvantageous spots.
One final note: Condon was 3-for-8 from the free throw line, leaving five easy points on the table. That can’t be the case. In his two seasons in college so far, Condon is shooting a highly improvable 63.1 FT% (171/271) and he’s at 60.2 FT% (97/161) this year.
Walter Clayton Jr. (Florida)
BOX SCORE: 23 PTS (6/14 FG, 5/8 3P, 6/7 FT), 3 DREB, 1 AST, 5 TOV, 0 STK, 4 PF in 36 MINS
I’ll keep this brief since I have more content coming out soon on Walter Clayton Jr. but this game showed why he can be a second round, second unit guard for NBA teams to target.
Clayton’s pull-up, especially from three, was on fire against UConn. Time and time again, the Florida guard looked to get to his right wing sidestep. Basically, he was hitting ‘fuck you’ shots in a big time atmosphere while being the focus of the Huskies’ defense.
Clayton is a small guard for NBA standards, though. Florida lists him at 6-foot-3, 195 pounds but I think he’s probably a little shorter.
The 22-year-old gets to the rim at a high enough clip, but his conversion needs to improve (58.2% at the rim on 122 attempts, 51.9% in the half-court on 79 attempts). Clayton is a below-the-rim finisher reliant on scoops and extensions.
Clayton finished with 1 assist to 5 turnovers, but his passing was better than what the stat line implies. Clayton was mostly accurate releasing his screener in the pick-and-roll, and he put pressure on UConn’s defense (although largely as a scorer, which opens up his passing).
The Huskies gave Clayton some problems when their centers defended ballscreens high and used their size to pressure his playmaking process.
Alex Karaban (UConn)
BOX SCORE: 14 PTS (5/13 FG, 2/9 3P, 2/2 FT), 5 REB (3o/2d), 3 AST, 0 TOV, 1 STL, 0 BLK, 2 PF in 36 MINS
It was a typical Alex Karaban performance against UConn. He made some threes but left you wanting a bit more, used his size here and there on both ends, and had some valuable connective moments.
I thought Karaban was going to take another step forward this season at UConn, but I don’t think he’s shown significant growth since the start of this draft cycle.
I’d still feel comfortable picking the 22-year-old towards the end of the first or start of the second, particularly if I was making decisions for a playoff team that needs to know what they’re getting from a player, but Karaban’s ceiling isn’t very exciting. For the most part, his role will be shooting threes and making decisions off the catch.
The hope is that Karaban can knock down threes in the NBA at a really high clip and percentage. I’m talking 5.5-7 threes per game at more than 37-38% from deep.
From there, can he use his shooting gravity to make some passes out of handoffs? Can he put the ball on the floor and finish against NBA bigs? Can he leverage his size to crash the glass and get rebounds?
I like Karaban’s defense thanks to his size and discipline. He’s not some sort of stopper or anything, but he can follow the scouting report and come up with some plays. I consider the UConn junior to have a relatively safe floor on this end.
Thomas Haugh (Florida)
BOX SCORE: 7 PTS (1/4 FG, 0/2 3P, 5/6 FT), 7 REB (3o/4d), 2 AST, 0 TOV, 0 STK, 3 PF in 27 MINS
Florida sophomore Thomas Haugh has the makings for a breakout junior year next season. I just think he’s a smart player who ‘gets’ how to play and has enough size, mobility, motor and shooting to be intriguing.
Looking ahead, Haugh needs more consistency and even greater volume still. He’s averaging 9.4 points per game until now, and he scored just 7 on 1-for-4 shooting against UConn.
The Gators forward missed both of his threes against UConn, but his willingness and usage is encouraging. Haugh was moving into his triples and launching them without hesitation. I think he’ll be able to attack closeouts. Looking at his numbers this year, Haugh is shooting 33.3% (29/87) from three overall, 31.4 3P% (27/86) on catch-and-shoots, and 80.7 FT% (109/135) from the line.
For now, Haugh sort of just pitches in wherever to finish or continue plays. He had 7 rebounds against UConn, with 3 coming on the offensive glass. The last clip in the above video really shows Haugh’s motor and how he was getting to the line in this game.
The Florida prospect’s one made field goal was a catch-and-finish opportunity right at the basket against a mismatch in semi-transition.
I like Haugh’s defensive tools and intentions, but his execution can still improve sometimes. His defense this past Sunday was a mixed bag. For instance, Haugh is in the right place in the clip above, but the technique on his verticality leaves just a tiny bit to be desired and he’s called for the foul.
Or here, he’s up against Alex Karaban. Haugh can keep up, but it’s an avoidable foul with his body.
In this clip, Haugh keeps up fine with UConn guard Aidan Mahaney in space - but I also think that this is probably more about the latter’s limitations (side bar: I expected more from him this season).