What St. Bonaventure transfer Kyle Lofton brings to the Gators roster
Graduate transfer guard Kyle Lofton became the Gators’ fourth addition via the transfer portal when he announced his commitment to Florida on May 13.
Since the hiring of Todd Golden, UF has seen starting guard Tyree Appleby transfer to Wake Forest and guard Elijah Kennedy take his talents to Texas State.
The Florida staff wasted no time to fill those holes by bringing in Virginia Military Institute transfer guard Trey Bonham. Alongside Bonham is four-star signee Denzel Aberdeen, who decided to remain committed to the Gators after Mike White’s departure.
Still, it seems Golden and company wanted to add another guard to the roster.
The addition of Lofton gives UF plenty of depth at the point guard position, which is something the program hasn’t seen since the 2019-20 season.
Now that Lofton has withdrawn his name from the upcoming NBA Draft, it’s time to take a look at how he’ll be able to impact Florida in the 2022-23 season.
Kyle Lofton scouting reprot
Arguably the most important stat of Lofton’s is that he was a four-year starter for St. Bonaventure. He’s a veteran point guard, and college basketball lacks players with his kind of experience.
When it comes to the way the Garden State native plays the game, his 6-foot-3 frame really shows. He doesn’t fear contact. At times, it looks like he even embraces it when he drives down the lane.
Lofton’s height also allows him to contend for second-chance points on his own misses. He has no problem fighting for his own rebound and putting up another shot.
He’s confident to the point where he’ll shoot from just about anywhere on the offensive end. He’ll drive to the rim looking to draw a foul, and his floater has been a routine shot for him
Lofton likes to challenge his opponents one-on-one. He has no problem hesitating for a moment before stepping back for a midrange jumper or from 3-point land.
Florida will have the opportunity to run sets including a pair of point guards, as Lofton, Bonham and Aberdeen have all shown they’re capable of playing off the ball.
At St. Bonaventure, Lofton often found multiple off-ball screens. His speed allowed him to use those screens to get a number of uncontested 3-point shots.
Make no mistake, Lofton is a true point guard. The Bonnies offense never seemed to be in a hurry, and that was because it was frequently moving the ball around to find the right matchup or an open player.
Lofton loves to score, but there’s no question he’s highly skilled when it comes to making quick passes.
Defensively, he has active hands and should come up with a lot of steals for Florida in his final season of eligibility. He will also make an impact for the Gators in the full-court press like he did in his four seasons at St. Bonaventure.
