NBA Draft 2017 Prospect Watch: Tyler Dorsey

Tyler Dorsey comes into the 2017 NBA Draft as a deadly shooter and clutch performer when it matters most.

Who is Tyler Dorsey?

I’m a pretty big college basketball fan as I tend to watch a lot of Big Ten (Wisconsin) and ACC (Syracuse) basketball so I end up seeing a lot of teams throughout the year. The conference I usually miss is the Pac-12, until March. This is when I saw Tyler Dorsey and fell in love with Mr. March and his game, maybe you did too as he busted brackets across America.

Tyler Dorsey is a combination scoring guard in every sense of the word. The University of Oregon product is a 6’4″ guard who brought his game from Maranatha High School located in Pasadena, California minutes away from the Rose Bowl.

Before coming to Oregon Dorsey was a four star recruit and listed as the 38th top recruit on the ESPN Top 100 in 2015, while playing in the Jordan Brand Classic that same year. The former Arizona Wildcat commit is an intriguing NBA prospect who brings the nature of a silent assassin to the floor.

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In his two years at Oregon, Dorsey led the Ducks to a 64-13 record, going to the Elite Eight and Final Four respectively. With Dorsey, the Ducks also won the conference and tournament championship as a freshman and tied for the conference championship with UCLA and the Lonzo Ball-led Bruins.

Dorsey also has a connection with Giannis Antetokounmpo, as he played for the Greek National team in the Under-19 FIBA World Championship in the summer of 2015. Dorsey’s mother is Greek and his grandmother still lives in the country.

After an all tournament team selection, Dorsey was invited the next year to try out for the national team and the opportunity to guard Milwaukee’s very own Giannis Antetokounmpo.

Here at Behind the Buck Pass, we’ve already taken a brief look at Dorsey following his recent workout in Milwaukee, and Dorsey even spoke to Bucks.com about his relationship with Giannis.

Let’s take a closer look at what Dorsey 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

Tyler Dorsey can shoot and score with ease. While at the University of Oregon, Dorsey shot 41.6 percent from the three-point line, taking 5.0 and making 2.1 three-point field goal attempts per game. His overall field goal percentage was 45.5 percent, which is very good for a guard taking half of his shots from over 20 feet.

Dorsey also improved year to year as shown by shooting 75.5 percent from the free throw line compared to 71.2 percent as a freshman. His shooting form is also textbook, shooting from the phone booth with perfect arch and rotation. Dorsey’s feet always appear to be set both in catch-and-shoot situations and off-the-dribble.

Dorsey earned himself the Mr. March nickname as he also connected on 60.6 percent from the three-point line during the Ducks’ NCAA tournament run this year. Mr. March, Mr. Clutch, call the man what you want, he can fill it up.

The NCAA tournament showed Dorsey at his best. Over the course of the Final Four run, Dorsey scored 20+ points in five consecutive games when it mattered most, before being eliminated by eventual NCAA Champions UNC, Dorsey hit big shot after big shot.

Dorsey played off the ball at Oregon, but did a great job in the half court of effectively using ball screens, change of pace dribble, and attacking the paint. Even though Dorsey does not bring the ball up to initiatet the offense, he is excellent in transition often attacking with his effective speed and change of direction to score.

Tyler Dorsey is an efficient and effective scorer. Scoring 14.6 points per game on only 10.4 shots this past season on a loaded Oregon roster with the likes of potential NBA draftees Dillon Brooks and Jordan Bell. A sign that Dorsey has the ability to step in as a role player in the NBA, something not every college star can transition to.

Provided by CBB at Sports Reference: View Original Table
Generated 5/29/2017.

Weaknesses

The first thing I thought when I saw Dorsey play was, how tall is this guy? Can he play point guard in the NBA? What else does he bring to the table?

Tyler Dorsey measured in at 6’4.5″ with shoes and a 6’5.25″ wing span and tied for the sixth shortest wing span from those measured at the NBA combine in Chicago with Luke Kennard. Dorsey’s height and wing span do not bode well as a future shooting guard in the NBA.

Khris Middleton for example measured in with a 6’10.75″ in the 2012 NBA combine and Rashad Vaughn measured in with a 6’7″ wing span in the 2015 NBA combine. Dorsey actually measured in better than expected as past measurements had him closer to 6’3″.

Dorsey weighed in at 182.6 pounds and the sixth lightest from those measured at the NBA combine. As Dorsey drives to the basket, banging against longer, heavier, and more athletic players will present a challenge for the 21-year-old prospect, who’s almost a year older than most college sophomore entries.

Going through Dorsey’s numbers, something that stood out was how he fared in losses at Oregon during this past season. The scoring didn’t change a great deal, as he averaged 13.8 points per game in losses, but the rest of the stat sheet was often empty. A total of four assists, 16 rebounds, and 11 turnovers in six losses suggests that if his shot isn’t falling, he’s not contributing elsewhere on the floor.

As a true scorer when his shot is off, Dorsey at least does a great job getting to the rim and knocking down a Mark Price-like 95.5 percent of his free throws.

Scoring matters, but will Dorsey be able to shoot and score over the longer shooting guards in the NBA? Would Dorsey be able to initiate an offense or did Coach Dana Altman move him off the ball to discourage a shoot first point guard at Oregon? These questions are the reasons it’s unlikely to hear Tyler Dorsey’s name called in the first round, but let’s see what the experts have to say.

Provided by CBB at Sports Reference: View Original Table
Generated 5/29/2017.

What the Experts Say

(As of 5/29)

DraftExpress (Jonathan Givony): 49th

ESPN (Chad Ford): 47th

The Ringer (Kevin O’Connor): 48th

Sporting News (Sam Vecenie): 47th

The experts have Dorsey in the middle to late second round of the NBA draft right where the Bucks would be selecting. In fact The Ringer had the Bucks selecting him with the 48th pick. Here’s what they had to say about Dorsey:

"“A microwave scoring point guard with a knack for coming up big in clutch moments.”"

Jonathan Givony had this to say after Day 1 of scrimmages at the NBA combine:

"“Dorsey is a scorer through and through, but he didn’t really force the issue and let the game come to him, which is important considering what his role will be at the next level.”"

Fit with the Bucks

Tyler Dorsey is an interesting second round prospect for the Milwaukee Bucks in the 2017 NBA Draft. Ties with Giannis Antetokounmpo, a prolific shooter from three-point range, and a natural scorer make me think the possibility is there for him to land in Milwaukee.

The Bucks are set at shooting guard with Khris Middleton as the starter. Tony Snell while a 3-and-D specialist is a restricted free agent who could be given a contract out of the Bucks salary range. Rashad Vaughn has done little to prove his first round selection and he may struggle to have his option picked up next year, if he’s not used as part of an off-season trade. There may be room for Dorsey at the shooting guard position.

The Bucks could see what Dorsey has to offer at the point guard position as well. Matthew Dellavedova and Malcolm Brogdon were an upgrade from past point guard history, however neither player is a prolific scorer. Dorsey has the capability of bringing instant offense at the guard position, similar to Jason Terry current Bucks player and free agent.

In fact, the similarities between Terry and Dorsey are striking on the surface. Terry is a small combo guard from the West coast who started as a point guard early in his career and later became a source of instant offense.

Next: NBA Draft 2017 Prospect Watch: De’Aaron Fox

A combo guard who is great in transition, shoots the long ball at a high rate, and brings scoring and clutch shooting off the bench is a valuable commodity. If available at the 48th pick on draft night, expect the Bucks to give serious consideration to drafting Tyler Dorsey.