Raptors should draft Syracuse PF Tyler Lydon
By Mustafa Noor
College basketball is starting to become interesting with March Madness just around the corner. Let’s examine one player who the Raptors could draft this summer.
The NBA season post All-Star break isn’t very exciting as it is rare that the final standings change after January 20th. In an excellent piece for ESPN the magazine they showed that 80 percent of the variability in the final standings can be explained purely by the standings on Jan. 20th . So, with the NCAA March Madness tournament about to start, it’s time for Raptors fans to get emotionally attached to players the Raptors could draft this summer.
The Raptors have one 2017 first round pick to use this summer to draft a player. The other first round pick was traded to the Orlando Magic along with Terrence Ross for Serge Ibaka. Most experts expect the Raptors to draft a big with their late first round pick. One possible candidate has caught my eye recently and could help the Raptors off the bench. Enter Tyler Lydon.
Who is Tyler Lydon and should we draft him?
Tyler Lydon is a 6 foot 9 223 pound forward from Syracuse in his sophomore year. You would be forgiven for not paying much attention to Syracuse this year. The last time they caught the nation’s imagination, Carmelo Anthony was playing in orange. But Tyler Lydon is exciting enough to make Syracuse games intriguing to watch. His versatile enough to play both small and power and on occasions Center in a small ball line up.
Offensively he has a beautiful jumper with picture perfect shooting mechanisms and footwork. He is now shooting 41% from three-point range which is rare for a big of his size. He can stretch the floor which is something that the Raptors need off the bench. Lydon has advanced court vision and is an excellent passer from the elbow and high post. He is averaging 2 assists a game which is impressive for a 6 foot 9 player.
Defensively, he is an excellent rim protector and is averaging 8 rebounds a game for Syracuse. This puts him 88th in the country for rebounds. He has an instinct for defensive situations, Lydon knows when to shadow someone and watch them in the high post. He is also astute enough defensively to know when to fall back into the low post to prevent an easy dunk or lay-up
Potential red flags
Offensively, we know he is a good three-point shooter and NCAA defenses know that about Lydon as well. Therefore, the game plan is to stop him from shooting threes and force him to pull up on a jumper which often misses. He was 3 of 13 on pull ups in his freshman year with Syracuse. His ball skills need some work as well for the next level. Lydon has a very basic handle. He loves to drive right and when forced otherwise has trouble finishing at the rim.
Defensively, he need to get stronger to defend traditional power forwards in the NBA. Currently, he is bullied in the paint by stronger players who go to work on him and finish at the rim with pure strength. In order to be successful in the NBA you need to be strong enough to defend your man.
Take a chance on him
What’s clear to see is that the Raptors won’t be able to draft a superstar player for the future. Since the Raptors perpetually contending in the Eastern Conference, what they need is a role player who can make shots and defend competently. I see Tyler Lydon as a Ryan Anderson-type player in the NBA. He has the three-point range like Anderson and is a better defender than Anderson was at this point. With Sullinger gone and likely Patterson in the summer as well, Toronto has space enough for another stretch 4. I believe Lydon is too good a prospect not to draft if he is still on the board for Toronto. Respected NBA draft websites such as draftexpress.com and nbadraft.net both have Lydon 22nd in the upcoming draft.
What do you think Raptor nation? Is Lydon a player you would like to see in Toronto? Or do you think we should draft another wing player? Comment below and let me know.