Trey Lyles (Kentucky | Freshman | Forward)
HT: 6'10" | WT: 250 lbs. | Wingspan: 7'1.5" | 19 years old
2014-15 Stats: 8.7 PPG | 5.2 RPG | 48.8 FG%
Stop me if you’ve heard this one before: A member of the 2014-15 Kentucky Wildcats achieved great success in college, but probably just scratched the surface of his full potential while sacrificing playing time and touches for the good of the team.
You could say it about most of this year’s seven draft-eligible UK players, but arguably none more than 6-10 forward Trey Lyles, who flashed NBA potential despite playing just 23 minutes a game as a freshman.
“He’s the one that makes us go from pretty good, to really good to, ‘Uh-oh, what am I watching?’” said his coach, John Calipari, in a March interview with the Toronto Globe and Mail. As the June 25th Draft approaches, he’s out to show that he’s ready and willing to step in and help a team win.
Pedigree
Lyles grew up in Saskatchewan, the son of a professional basketball player for the Saskatoon Storm in the early 1990s. He dabbled in hockey, like every other kid in Canada, but found his calling in hoops-crazy Indiana when his family moved back to the United States in 2002.
He’d develop into a top prospect, earning the state's prestigious “Mr. Basketball” honor after averaging 23.7 points, 12.9 rebounds and 3.5 assists as a senior in high school. He was rated as highly as the nation’s sixth best player in in 2014 before committing to join Calipari’s stacked recruiting class.
Positioned for success?
By virtue of being just the sixth-tallest player on Kentucky’s roster, Lyles was forced to spend most of his time at small forward this past season. His NBA position is almost certainly as a face-up power forward, but his sacrifice embodies his team-first approach.
“We played him at a three (small forward),” said Calipari in a lengthy conference call with the media this week. “I could have had him closer to the elbows and basket and he could have scored more and done more but people that really know the game walked away saying, 'Wait a minute, he can shoot, he can pass, he's really skilled, he's got size, he's physical enough to be able to come in and guard his position right now.'
Knicks fit
Lyles doesn’t wow you as an athlete, and his statistical record suffered for all of the reasons stated above.
He could become a David West-type player as he develops, a devastating pick-and-pop threat who’s made two All-Star teams with his toughness and smarts. He could be a legitimate “stretch 4” like Patrick Patterson, a fellow Calipari product who has carved out a career as a valuable rotation player for Toronto by shooting 37 percent from downtown.
The list of successful 6-10 forwards with complete skill sets is long and offers plenty of reason for optimism about his NBA future in the right system. There’s also growing belief that the Triangle might be that perfect fit.
As a coach, Phil Jackson had success getting players to buy into the team concept and fitting them into defined roles. Lyles, who can do a little bit of everything – and perhaps much more as he transitions back to his familiar position – not only passes, shoots and handles the ball well for a player his size, but has a firm grasp on who he is as a player, which should help hasten his transition to the NBA.
“Knowing how to play the game, being a smart player,” he lists as his immediate strengths – two things Jackson and coach Derek Fisher value highly as they attempt to rebuild the roster. If the draft board falls the right way, adding a prospect like Lyles to the locker room go be a step in that direction.