NBA Draft 2017 Prospect Watch: Tyler Lydon

Tyler Lydon comes into the NBA Draft as a long, rangy, and athletic four man with a smooth shooting touch from long range. Will the Milwaukee Bucks add the former Syracuse man?

Who is Tyler Lydon?

Coming into college, Tyler Lydon was barely on the recruiting map in terms of five-star recruits and came in at number 76 on ESPN’s Top 100 in 2015. A long and rangy forward who could shoot was the scouting report on Lydon.

Lydon surprisingly burst on to the college scene as a freshman from White Plains, New York as part of the 10 seeded Orangemen who beat Malcolm Brogdon’s Virginia Cavaliers for a trip to the Final Four in 2015.

During his freshman year at Syracuse, Lydon was always considered the X-factor as his talent to shoot from long range and bring freakish athleticism caught the eyes of many.

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After averaging 10.1 points per game for his freshman season and adding a Final Four to his young basketball resume, many from the Orange faithful assumed Lydon was bound to leave for greener pastures.

As Lydon came back for his sophomore season he was given the green light in Jim Boeheim’s offense. His numbers did not increase at the expected rate in an offense that lost the likes of NBA draft selections Malachi Richardson and Michael Gbinije the year prior.

The wins at Syracuse were stagnant as they missed the NCAA tournament where Lydon the year before was able to showcase his abilities. After two successful years at Syracuse, Tyler Lydon declared for the NBA draft.

Let’s take a look at what Lydon can bring to an NBA franchise by looking at his strengths, weaknesses, what the experts say, and his potential fit with the Milwaukee Bucks.

Strengths

Lydon’s ability to shoot matches up to many shooting guards, as he shot 39.8 percent from three-point land during his career at Syracuse and over 80 percent from the free throw line, something few NBA players can claim.

Lydon shot just over 53 percent from the field and continued to knock down spot-up jumpers from the field and finish with jaw dropping dunks.

While he came in at only 215lbs at the NBA Draft Combine, don’t let the lanky physique fool you, Lydon can jump out of the gym.

A vertical leap of 33.5 inches at the NBA combine makes his seven foot wing span that much more appealing. Finishing top among forwards in shuttle agility and third overall behind the likes of Frank Jackson and Hamidou Diallo.

One of the most telling stats of Lydon’s time at Syracuse included averaging 1.6 blocks during his career while playing the center position of the zone. Lydon finished fourth and sixth respectively in the ACC as he played an undersized center and athletic, weak side forward defensive position.

The high-riser also led the team in rebounding and was fifth overall in the ACC conference at 8.6 rebounds per game.

Provided by CBB at Sports Reference: View Original Table
Generated 5/25/2017.

Weaknesses

As I alluded to earlier Tyler Lydon’s overall game is far from a finished product. While a strength of Lydon is his shooting touch, the area most lacking in his game at present is the ability to put the ball on the floor and score.

According to Draft Express, Lydon only shot 29.2 percent on off-the-dribble jump shots, which is a clear weakness. With Lydon shooting so well from three-point range, defenders frequently run at him, allowing a pump fake and an easy one dribble pull up. Does that mean Tyler Lydon is only a spot-up shooter?

Despite Lydon’s athleticism, the NBA is filled with athletic forwards, especially those who play the forward position. Lydon’s overall build at only 215 pounds and the highest tested body fat percentage at 13.6 percent, will limit his offensive play at the rim and defensive ability against bigger and stronger opponents.

Syracuse is known for playing the 2-3 zone which is not something you will see in an NBA game. This makes it difficult to judge Lydon accurately in terms of how he matches up defensively. While athleticism allows Lydon to block shots, the zone covers up many of the deficiencies of a team which plays man-to-man.

Syracuse has brought many players to an NBA arena but few are known for their defensive prowess. The stats and instincts appear to be there defensively, the question remains will Lydon be able defend at the next level?

What the Experts Say

(As of 5/26)

DraftExpress (Jonathan Givony): 26th

ESPN (Chad Ford): 34th

CBS Sports (Gary Parrish): 23rd

The Ringer (Kevin O’Connor): 32nd

Sporting News (Sam Vecenie): 35th

The Step Back (Chris Stone): 27th

Chris Stone of the Step Back correctly diagnoses the shooting ability of Lydon and gives a glimpse into his future in the NBA, stretching the court.

"Lydon made 39.8 percent of his 3-point attempts in college and shot it well from the free throw line. He has impressively deep range on his jumper as well, which can help bend the court even further than most."

Ryan Thompson of Draft Express gives a more glowing opinion of the future of Lydon and his ability to grow into into an NBA player.

"Lydon remains an intriguing prospect who still has some room to grow as an offensive weapon, even if he is a year older than most of the players in his class.  The proliferation of the 3-point shot in the NBA has created a niche for forwards like Lydon who can space the floor and will readily fill a role."

Fit with the Bucks

Before John Hammond left as general manager of the Milwaukee Bucks, the move had been to take long athletic players with a great work ethic. John Henson, Giannis Antetokounmpo,  Jabari Parker, and Thon Maker all fit as examples of the Bucks’ draft priorities in that regime.

Ti Windish pointed out a few weeks ago, the recent shift and need for shooting in Milwaukee.

"Every new player the Bucks brought in that offseason was a fairly capable shooter, whether it be Mirza Teletovic, Matthew Dellavedova, Michael Beasley, Tony Snell, Jason Terry, Malcolm Brogdon or Thon Maker."

Shooting is needed in the Bucks organization and Lydon can provide the long range spot-up shooting that could replace veteran Michael Beasley if he leaves during free agency. Teletovic, while possessing a similar shooting acumen, will be turning 32 in the upcoming season and 35 at the end of his contract.

Lydon can step in immediately as a role player off the bench similar to when he was at his best during his freshman season at Syracuse. While the NBA mock drafts have Lydon going as high as 23rd in the CBS Sports mock draft, Lydon has bounced around from late lottery selection to the second round.

The Bucks have shown interest as Lydon worked out recently for the team and appear to be continuing to make shooting a priority. Similarly to Thon Maker last year I don’t see Lydon getting back to the Bucks selection in the second round and I could see Milwaukee using that strategy with Lydon and the 17th pick if he is the top player available on their draft board.

My personal thoughts for the Bucks organization would be to wait on Lydon and see if he can be picked up as a value pick in the second round. In that scenario, he could offer something similar to the value Brogdon brought last year, although this may require a trade up or down in the draft as the range of Lydon’s selection seems unknown.

Next: NBA Draft 2017 Prospect Watch: Ike Anigbogu

Bucks fans at the very least would delight in the fact that Lydon has his own Twitter account for his intermittent mustache, Rico. Maybe Tyler Lydon is the perfect fit in Milwaukee.