2016 NBA Draft Prospects: Breaking Down Future of Kentucky’s Tyler Ulis

Tyler Ulis was a star in college basketball. Viewed as a driving force behind Kentucky’s success the past two years, the 5’9″ ball-handler plays much bigger than his height.

But it wasn’t until late in his second season that Ulis began generating NBA buzz. Naturally, his lack of size was always tough to see past, despite his well-documented effectiveness in the NCAA. And we haven’t seen many players under 6’0″ drafted in the first round.

However, following an electric final two months and inspiring overall career at Kentucky, Ulis now finds himself in position to draw mid-first-round interest in the 2016 draft.

Relevant Stats

Ulis’ assist-to-turnover ratio stands out more than any other stat. Not only did he take care of the ball (two turnovers per game) as a lead guard averaging 36.8 minutes, but he finished seventh nationally in dishing.

He also poured in 17.3 points a game, good for second on the team behind Jamal Murray.

His 34.4 percent three-point mark was somewhat disappointing, but he did knock down 55 total triples (on 160 attempts) and 85.6 percent of his free throws. Ulis shot 42.9 percent from deep as a freshman, though that was on the smaller sample size of only 77 attempts. So teams shouldn’t put too much stock in the drop-off in long-range accuracy.

Strengths

Ulis is quick off the bounce and sharp off the dribble. His handles and footwork are highly advanced. He changes speeds, takes the right steps at the right times and controls the pace of games.

An excellent passer, Ulis has terrific facilitating and setup instincts as the offense’s quarterback. He understands how to manipulate a defense and free up shooters or finishers, whether it’s by hesitating off ball screens or driving-and-kicking.

More than anything else, Ulis is a fantastic decision-maker who always seems to know what buttons to press. …

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