Class: Sophomore
Ht: 6-foot-10
Wt: 225 pounds
2016-17 Stats: 13.2 points, 8.6 rebounds, 1.4 blocks, 1.0 steals
HOW HE OPERATES
An honorable mention All-ACC Team selection, Tyler Lydon is one of the best shooters in the NBA Draft. Looking for a quick current NBA comp? Think Houston’s Ryan Anderson. Only, Lydon has a more diverse offensive game that sees him effectively posting up sometimes, as well as rebounding better than Anderson. But it’s his 39-percent average from the arc, Lydon’s ability to be a knockdown 3-point shooter, that has him climbing the charts in the days before the draft. He was an honorable mention All-ACC selection with the Orange in their run to the National Invitation Tournament.
At nearly seven feet tall, Lydon was utilized as a post-up threat first, and he showed good ability to play with his back to the basket, finishing primarily over his left shoulder with small hook shots. But he could also step out and cause matchup problems as a stretch big – and that’s what he’d do in the NBA. Lydon was a stellar jump shooter, averaging 1.175 points per possession on jump shots as a group, and nailing 43 percent of them. In catch-and-shoot situations, Lydon scored 1.25 points per possession and made 42 percent of those shots. That number of makes skyrocketed to 56 percent when he wasn’t guarded. And his 3-point range extended well beyond the line. Lydon, however, will work to improve his ability to shoot accurately off the dribble. It was about his only weakness in jump-shooting.
Lydon battled on the glass, and was effective as a rebounder. He’s not an extraordinary leaper, but got good position and was athletic enough to come down with more than his fair share of boards. Lydon ran the court well in transition, and could stop and pop at the 3-point line as a trailer or dive all the way to the rim, receive the pass and dunk the basketball. On defense, Lydon led Syracuse in blocks, but the vast majority of them were help side because Syracuse plays primarily a 2-3 zone. In many ways, Lydon’s ability to defend in man-to-man situations is still being discovered because Syracuse almost never plays it.
HIS BEST FIT
Because of his shooting ability, Lydon’s best fit is on a team that spreads the court well enough for him to get open looks as the recipient of the second or third pass. A team that has reserve front court minutes available and needs bench scoring is a solid fit for Lydon.