GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Tyrese Samuel has found a landing spot in the NBA as an undrafted free agent. The Florida Gators forward agreed to an Exhibit-10 deal with the Phoenix Suns.
The news was first reported by Jon Chepkevich of Draft Express.
Samuel started all 36 games in his grad season at Florida, finishing with 500 points while averaging career-bests of 13.9 points and 7.4 rebounds per game to earn AP second-team All-SEC honors.
Samuel tallied 30 double-figure scoring games and three 20-point games, and his 11 double-doubles are tied for ninth-most in school history. He was part of UF’s first trio ever to score 500 points in a season.
Samuel scored a career-high 28 points with 10 rebounds in the win vs. Missouri, including 14 of the Gators’ final 20 points over the last 7:00 of the game to help seal the win and a poster dunk over 7-foot-5 Tigers center Connor Vanover.
“That dunk, I can’t remember who he punched it on, but that should be a SportsCenter Top 10 play for sure tonight. I felt like his experience really showed in that moment,” Florida coach Todd Golden said of Samuel’s slam against Missouri. “It felt great, absolutely fantastic. Good timing. He was good in the first half, he had 12 and six at halftime. I felt his motor was running really high.
“When his motors running like that, he’s just one of the best frontcourt players in the league. … I felt like that showed big time for him in those moments just with his tight catches, and then his tight moves and tight space being able to put it in with either hand, and-one finishes. We did a good job putting Tyrese in the high post and getting him catches in the paint, where he’s just a great decision maker and a really good playmaker.”
Samuel had a 21-point, 11-rebound performance in the double overtime win vs. Michigan and made the tie-breaking free throw with 38 seconds remaining to lift the Gators over LSU.
Samuel posted the No. 3 single-season total in school history with 102 offensive rebounds, joining Micah Handlogten (108) to become Florida’s first duo to hit the century mark in offensive boards.
Samuel also became the first player nationally since Tim Duncan to post 23 points, 12 rebounds and four blocked shots in a top-10 road victory, doing so in Florida’s overtime victory at Kentucky.
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