Player of the Day: Tyler Lydon #20 - Syracuse

Strengths:
- 3 point shooting: Lydon is a good 3 point shooter. His length and quick release allow him to get his shot off.
- Versatility: Though Lydon's strengths as a defender may be hidden in the Syracuse zone, he is 6'9 with a 7'0+ wingspan and good athleticism. Lydon can guard anyone from a Shooting Guard to a Power Forward.
- Post feeds: Lydon is an ideal player for the triangle. He feeds the post well as he can see over defenders.


Weaknesses:
- Soft: Lydon avoids contact at all costs. Offensively, he prefers to hover around the perimeter and take 3 pointers, and defensively, he rarely contests shots and commonly gets stripped on the defensive boards.
- Boxouts: Lydon almost never boxes his man out. When the shot goes up he stares at the ball rather than trying to find a body to boxout. He gives up countless offensive rebounds with these tactics.
- Defensive effort: Lydon's closeouts are slow, he doesn't contest shots, and his rotations are late.


NBA Potential:
Lydon is not an NBA player. Draft websites have him as a potential first round pick because of his natural gifts, but I don't see teams drafting him even close to that high. Lydon makes no impact on the game scoring, rebounding, or defensively. I imagine he will be a net negative for any professional team he plays for. He reminds me of Skal Labissiere last year, who was also drafted because of his athletic gifts, but avoids contact at all costs.


Verdict:
- 2nd round pick
- Will play in the D-League but eventually settle for a contract in Europe.