Trey Lyles
Position: Power forward
Height/Weight: 6-10/240
School: Kentucky
It would have been easy for Trey Lyles to become frustrated at Kentucky when realizing he would have to fight for minutes in a frontcourt loaded with fellow NBA prospects Karl-Anthony Towns, Willie Cauley-Stein and Dakari Johnson.
Instead, Lyles used the time to diversify his game. The big man shifted to more of a perimeter player and showed his immense potential for the next level.
Now with a chance to move out of the shadows of his highly touted teammates, Lyles will get a chance to prove he can forge his own path in the NBA.
Strengths
To say Lyles has an old-man game is meant as a compliment. He’s never in a hurry, but typically tends to get where he’s going on the floor. Even with a 6-10 frame and 7-3½ wingspan, Lyles is fluid with his footwork and can handle the ball with both hands.
Lyles’ main method of attacking on offense was his jumper during his lone season at Kentucky, mainly out of necessity by playing in the aforementioned crowded frontcourt. While not as consistent as you would like, he still showed strong mechanics on his shot for a big. Not to say he can’t get it done in the paint. Lyles can use his size and footwork to get his shot off, while also showing a nice touch around the rim.
Perhaps Lyles’ greatest asset is just his overall feel for the game. He knows when to attack and when to pull back. He understands spacing, defensive principles and how to get his teammates involved. That’s pretty advanced knowledge for someone who won’t turn 20 years old until November.
NBA
Weaknesses
While Lyles took a fondness to his jump shot, it’s definitely still a work in progress. The Canadian was hit or miss from midrange and made just 13.8 percent from three-point range.
On the other end, Lyles is a willing defender but that’s not always enough. He did get blown by at times when defending on the perimeter. Plus, he doesn’t have enough bulk to bang with bigger bodies and lacks any real explosion to protect the rim.
Lyles is pretty much decent in a lot of aspects but not overly impressive at any one thing.
How he’d fit with Sixers
Lyles certainly would give the Sixers the length they appear to covet on the defensive end. However, the Sixers require their perimeter players to be able to consistently knock down jumpers — preferably from three-point land — so he would need to improve in that area for things to work.
NBA comparison
We’ll go with fellow Kentucky product Patrick Patterson on this one. Lyles has a high basketball IQ like Patterson. He just needs to polish him jump shot to match the current Toronto Raptors forward.
Draft projection
Lottery. Lyles is an interesting prospect. I’ve seen mock drafts in which he is being taken as high as No. 8 to Detroit or No. 15 to Atlanta. Some team just outside of the top 10 will likely fall in love with Lyles’ potential and pull the trigger.