While Todd Golden got his entire frontcourt back for another run, he also lost a trio of guards to the NBA who served as the backbone of the title team — particularly Walter Clayton Jr., who bailed the Gators out time after time with clutch shots. The Gators have really missed that element from the current roster.
It should come as no surprise, then, that CBS Sports included both Boogie Fland and Xaivian Lee among the five biggest transfer portal flops at the midseason point. Their dead weight has held the team back, but if they can find a way to maximize their potential, it could be a different story by season’s end.
Boogie Fland: No. 6 overall transfer portal ranking
“There was no replacing Florida’s backcourt last season, but even knowing that, Boogie Fland has been a disappointment this season. He showed some promising flashes in his first year at Arkansas, while battling injury, but those flashes have remained flashes and have not translated into consistent and efficient production for the Gators in 2025-26 — far from it, honestly,” Travis Branham begins.
“Florida’s season is currently being held up on the shoulders of Thomas Haugh and the front court. If the Gators wish to have any chance to make a Final Four, things will really have to start clicking for Fland, whose jumper is way below par,” he concludes.
Isaac Trotter also chimed in with his advice on how Fland could get back on track.
“I refuse to believe that Fland is truly a 19% 3-point shooter. No shot. Regardless of whether the jumper is going in or not, Fland has to keep hunting early offense,” he offers. “Fland’s best moments both as a scorer and as a creator have come in transition. He’s got an eye-popping 5.6-to-1 assist-to-turnover rate in transition, too. More of that, please. On-ball defense and playing with pace in the open floor can be Fland’s path to getting the rest of his game on track.”
This season, Fland has averaged 10.8 points, 2.3 rebounds, 3.2 assists and 1.6 steals per game, while shooting 38.2% overall from the floor and 19.0% from beyond the arc in 29.3 minutes played per outing.
Xaivian Lee: No. 29 overall transfer portal ranking
“It has not been a pretty first half of the season for Princeton transfer Xaivian Lee. He got out to a very rough start, and even though he is starting to settle in during the month of December, the real test is coming with SEC play getting in full swing,” Branham points out.
“Against P5 opponents, Lee is shooting a woeful 26-of-92 (28.3%) from the field, which highlights how difficult it can be for mid- and low-major players to translate to the high major level.”
As for how Lee can get his mojo flowing, Trotter offered the following advice.
“Be more confrontational as a driver. Lee has posted 33 drives this season. He’s earned a trip to the charity stripe on just one of those 33 opportunities. No high-major league fouls more than the SEC, and it’s been this way for a decade. Lee has to take advantage of that by playing off two feet, seeking contact and then going and knocking down two at the charity stripe. Games without a trip to the foul line are a disaster.”
This season, Lee has averaged 11.7 points, 4.3 rebounds, 3.4 assists and 1.1 steals per game, shooting 35.9% from the floor and 26.3% from downtown in 28.6 minutes per game played.
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