Zyon Pullin of Florida, who was not selected in the 2024 NBA Draft, has agreed to a two-way NBA contract with the Miami Heat.
In his only season with the Gators, the 6’4″, 206-point guard averaged 15.4 points, 4.9 assists, and 3.9 rebounds per game. For his efforts in Orange and Blue, he was selected to the 2024 Coaches First-Team All-SEC.
Pullin’s assist-to-turnover ratio of 3.77, the highest of any SEC player in the 2000s, set a single-season record for Florida.
Florida head coach Todd Golden said of Pullin in the middle of the season, “He’s really, really comfortable and really good at running the team and keeping us in our stuff and finding guys.” “He’s the best security blanket there is,” He will be able to arrange for us and lead us toward something. He’s good at spotting guys. He is out there seeing things and acting as our quarterback because he is good at spotting when things are available.
Pullin was one of the most effective offensive players in college basketball; according to KenPom, he ranked T-8th in the nation among players who used at least 20% of their possessions. He was the second-best point guard in the group, only behind Alabama’s Mark Sears.
Todd Golden stated on Pullin, “I’d be lying to say we expected him to be a top-three or four-point guard in America.” “I’m searching, but I don’t think many better options exist.”
Pullin was a superb floor general, but he was also a scorer. With 44.9% of his 78 attempts from beyond the arc, the point guard finished 28th in college baseball in 2023–2024 despite not relying too much on his three-point shot.
Pullin scored 512 points to join Walter Clayton Jr. (633) and Tyrese Samuel (500) as the only three players in Florida history to score 500 points in a single season. Additionally, Pullin and Clayton provided Florida’s first backcourt with multiple All-SEC players since Scottie Wilbekin, Mike Rosario, and Kenny Boynton in 2012–13.
Pullin played four seasons at UC Riverside before transferring to Florida. There, he was recognized as a three-time All-Big West honoree, making the first team in 2022–23, second team in 2021–22, and honorable mention in 2020–21. Over the course of his four seasons at UC Riverside, Pullin scored 1,312 points in 109 games with 77 starts, averaging 12.0 points per game, including 18.3 in 2022–2023.
The Californian was selected for the All-Bay Area News Group while playing high school basketball at College Park.
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