THE BIGGEST success story for Australians heading into the 2025 NBA Draft is Alex Condon, who has firmed his place in draft calculations with a magnificent year as a member of the Florida Gators in the NCAA.

After signing with the Collingwood Magpies as a category-B rookie in the AFL, Condon returned to college basketball for one more season, chasing the ultimate prize with his Florida teammates, a strong bet given the Gators had a solid core.

Although Aussie fans would be keeping an eye on Condon throughout the 2024/25 season, he was on the national radar by the end of the fixture given how much he had excelled with the Gators in the starting lineup.

Yesterday, Condon officially entered the 2025 NBA Draft, while maintaining his eligibility to return to the NCAA if he looks to seek consecutive titles with Florida, although many of his championship teammates may not return. That looks to be a moot point, with Condon likely to be selected in June, and join the top level.

At 211cm, Condon brings height to the frontcourt, but his skillset eclipses his position, with the Aussie playing a central role in Florida’s offence with his passing and interior finishing. He can put the ball on the floor if needed, while his ability to fake out defenders with pump fake passes completely opens up the offence in halfcourt sets.

Defensively, he is quite versatile for his position, which will be a big bonus in the NBA given the amount of switches. Naturally, he can wrestle and battle with the best of them in the low block, and his desire to not be beaten is evident whenever he is caught one out, but Condon also has the ability to close out on shooters around the perimeter.

Although his jumpshot needs a little bit of tidying and he could certainly benefit from putting on a bit of size, Condon has shown excellent work ethic throughout his time in the NCAA, and his impressive motor should ensure he makes an impact while he works on those two points.

Throughout the 2024/25 season, Condon averaged 10.6 points, 7.5 rebounds, 2.2 assists, 0.9 steals and 1.3 blocks on 49.3 per cent shooting from the field, with all of those numbers up on his previous campaign with the Gators.

He was a pillar of consistency for Florida, registering double-digits in 19 of his 37 outings this season, including a standout performance in enemy territory against Alabama. In that match, Condon showed his ceiling as a scorer, posting 27 points and 10 rebounds on 9/16 shooting from the field, including nailing a couple of triples to show his improvement on that front.

In the National Championship game, he played an instrumental role for the Gators as they claimed the ultimate prize, getting going early and finishing with 12 points and seven rebounds, including coming up with the game-sealing steal in the dying seconds of the match.

In terms of comparisons (stay tuned for a more in depth analysis on this front), the eye test suggests Condon shares similarities with Isaiah Hartenstein, given both players have excellent motors, impressive passing for their position and can hold their own defensively. The latter has built a strong NBA career on the back of this, so Condon will be looking to do the same.

One of Australia’s best draft bets for 2025, Condon looks destined for big things in the NBA, and his campaign with the Gators showed he certainly has star potential, and a willingness to improve in the future.