Top 3 underrated SEC points guards in 2024-25 season ft. Player A
SEC Basketball is elevating over the years, thanks to increased talent acquisition and coaching changes. Kentucky is a significant example of the landscape change, as it won 16 conference tournaments from 1992-2018.
The competition has toughened with additions like Bruce Pearl, Nate Oats, Eric Musselman and Mark Pope. Moreover, a recent conference shift sees Oklahoma and Texas being part of the SEC conference from the 2024-25 season.
With that, let's look at the underrated point guards in the densely packed Southeastern Conference that could make some noise in the coming season.
Three underrated SEC points guards in the 2024-25 season
#1 Walter Clayton Jr. - Florida Gators
Walter Clayton Jr led Florida with 17.6 points while shooting 43.2% last season and earning All-SEC honors.
His average 3-point efficiency (36.5%) removes a lot from his offensive potential. Nevertheless, he still sunk 93 threes, touched the 20-point mark 15 times and mounted a 33-point game in the NCAA game against Colorado.
His 88.1% career-free throw shooting indicates that he has a good shooting mechanism and can increase his long-range game with ease. He was invited to the NBA G League Elite camp this year but withdrew his draft candidacy and will be a backcourt centerpiece for the Gators in the 2024-25 season.
#2 Tamar Bates - Missouri Tigers
The six-foot-five lefty has all the elements of becoming a future draft pick. Tamar Bates' length and athleticism allow him to play both point and at the wing and his shiftiness makes him a threat on all three levels. He posted 13.5 points and 3.0 rebounds last season while connecting on nearly 50% of his shots.
For the point role, Bates can find open lanes, pass from either hand, finish in traffic and find open teammates on the floor. Additionally, he can disrupt passes and can hold his own during one-on-matchups as well.
#3 Denver Jones - Auburn Tigers
He averaged 20.1 points with the Florida Panthers in 2022-23 but took some time to slot into Auburn’s offense.
Averaging just 9.1 points last season, he garnered seven double-digit scoring games in January. Now, with no back doors to elevate his draft candidacy, Denver Jones will try to replicate the season where he led Conference USA in scoring.
Jones had trouble driving to the basket around SEC defenders and saw a slight dip in his overall field goal. Nevertheless, he crossed the 40% mark from beyond the arc.