Florida star Colin Castleton signing two-way contract with LA Lakers
GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Colin Castleton went undrafted on Thursday night but quickly found a landing spot. The Los Angeles Lakers are signing the Florida star to a two-way contract, according to the LA Times.
Castleton earned first-team All-SEC honors last season from the coaches and USA Today and second-team from the AP, as well as Defensive Player of the Year by USA Today and All-Defensive Team by the coaches.
He led the Gators in scoring (16.0), rebounding (7.7), blocked shots (78) and free throws made (113). Prior to his injury, he had four straight 20-point games, including a 29-point, 10-rebound double-double at No. 3 Alabama.
Castleton’s 3.0 blocked shots per game set a Florida single-season record, led the SEC and ranked third in the nation. He had 11 games with four or more blocks. His 2.49 career average surpassed Dwayne Schintzius (2.47) for the UF record.
Castleton passed Al Horford and Joakim Noah for most career blocks (194) and also finished second behind Dorian Finney-Smith for most career points (1,165) and career rebounds (607) by a transfer in school history.
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With his outing at Kentucky, Colin Castleton became the first player since Dwyane Wade 20 years ago (3/8/03 vs. UK) to post 25 points, eight rebounds, five assists, three blocked shots and a steal against an SEC team.
Castleton started the 2022-23 season with back-to-back 30-point performances, including a career-high 33 points against Kennesaw State and a 30-point, 12-rebound outing vs. FAU.
“I think he can be a guy that plays in the league for 10 to 15 years,” UF coach Todd Golden said of Castleton. “He’s got incredible, very good positional size. He can move really, really well, very good IQ, can dribble, pass. I think he can shoot it, even more so than he did for us last year if he gets confident in that regard. And he’s a fantastic defender, has ability to really protect the rim, can switch on the guards, keep them in front, contest their jump shots.
“Obviously it’s gonna be hard for him as a rookie to come into the NBA and start. But they have 13, 14, 15 roster spots. I’m taking that guy and trying to figure it out and see where you can fit in. And I think he will be, if surrounded by the right guys and the right organization, a guy that really, really pops early. As a guy that’s like, ‘Oh man. We didn’t expect him to be this good, this early in his career.’ But him surrounded by better players will be really beneficial for him.”
