Draft Profile: Tyler Ennis

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Most basketball fans didn’t know about Canada native Tyler Ennis prior to this past NCAA season, when he quickly made a name for himself as a member of the Syracuse Orange. Ennis hit big shot after big shot to propel the Orange to a 25-0 start and a No. 1 ranking in the country. He was viewed by many as the most clutch player in college basketball last season.

Ennis is one of the most poised players – and maybe the most poised player – to have entered the Draft in recent memory. Nothing rattles this kid. But don’t let his calm demeanor deceive you – he’s ultra-competitive. He has a great basketball IQ, is unselfish, but can make the big shot when you need him to. Ennis is a pure point guard, which is rare in the NBA nowadays. His instincts make up for what he is missing in the size and athleticism departments. He’s a fantastic floor general who makes great decisions and takes care of the ball. As a freshman at Syracuse and playing in the competitive ACC, Ennis notched a sparkling assist-to-turnover ratio of 3.24-to-1. He has great vision and great touch on his passes with either hand. If you’re open, he’ll find a way to get you the ball on a dime. Ennis is well versed in the pick-and-roll, as it was Syracuse’s go-to play. He is capable of finishing in a variety of ways but must improve his overall shot. He made only 41.1 percent of his field goals last season, though he did shoot a respectable 35.3 percent from long range. He must improve that jumper, as well as his ability to finish his runners, or else defenders will sag off of him and take away passing lanes. Ennis uses his good hands on defense to make up for his apparent lack of lateral quickness. He has a low foul rate but is oftentimes beaten off the dribble. He tested out as the eighth-most agile point guard and 18th-most agile player at the Combine, but that agility doesn’t always show through on film. Ennis played his entire freshman season in Syracuse’s 2-3 zone. Though the zone is based upon man principles, Ennis hasn’t played man defense in a true, live game situation since high school. His Combine test numbers indicate that he has the athleticism to defend and keep up in the NBA, but the jury is still out as to whether those testing numbers will translate to live action.

Tyler Ennis was born on Aug. 24, 1994 in Toronto to Tony McIntyre and Suzette Ennis McIntyre. He has five siblings; two brothers and three sisters. Ennis grew up in Brampton, Ontario, where he developed his skills as a basketball player. He would eventually move to the US to attend Saint Benedict’s Prep in Newark, N.J., the same school that J.R. Smith attended. He was a star player there, winning the Gatorade New Jersey Player of the Year award as a junior and the Star-Ledger Prep Player of the Year award as a senior. Coming out of high school, he was ranked 20th overall on the 2013 ESPN 100. He was offered scholarships from UCLA, Memphis, Louisville, Illinois and Syracuse. Ennis chose to play for Jim Boeheim and the Orange and had a stellar freshman season that led to a Second Team All-ACC selection. He played against his brother, Dylan, when Syracuse met Villanova on Dec. 28, 2013. Ennis was one of 10 semifinalists for the Naismith College Player of the Year award. Ennis declared for the NBA Draft on March 27, five days after the Orange were knocked out of the NCAA tournament.