*Good size and length

*Has a frame that will continue to add weight

*Decent athlete, can play above the rim and catch lobs

*Not very explosive but plays with fluidity

*Alternates between running the floor hard on the break and spreading out as a shooter/trailer

*Has a good feel for spacing in transition 

*Can find open spaces around the rim for easy looks in the halfcourt

*Has some trouble finishing at the rim in traffic, through contact and vs length

*Doesn’t have a floater game which could compensate for his struggles

*Good pursuit on the offensive glass. Adept at timing tip dunks and tip ins

*Excellent shooter out to NBA range

*Deadeye when left open

*Consistent shooting form, high release point

*Shifts with the defense on the perimeter to free himself up for open looks

*Mostly used as a spot up shooter but has shown he can catch and square up on the move

*Will ball fake and put it on the floor if the closeout is aggressive. 

*Can hit the one dribble pull up after the closeout but has a tendency to shoot on his way down on that particular shot

*Pretty good at isolating guys his size in a limited sample

*A stare down jumper or quick first step and good footwork near the rim gets him good looks

*Competes for post position, good at sealing his man as the ball swings on the perimeter

*Favors the left block over the right

*Likes to drive middle to a righty hook, counters with an up and under

*Has the tools for a nice face up game

*Sees and can hit cutters in stride from the post

*Shown some good big to big interior passing and can find the weakside shooter

*Rarely makes contact on ball screens

*Struggles as a roll man finishing in traffic but has PNP potential

*His PNP 3 point attempts often fall just short, which should be fixable

*Could one day be a threat on the short roll as he has pretty good vision and can shoot from there

*Can run a little PNR himself vs bigs. If they go under, he shoots the 3

DEFENSE

*Not a physical defender

*Tries to take a step off the ball and use his length to his advantage

*Doesn’t play with a good stance consistently, too upright

*A bit jumpy defending the ball but slides his feet decently when he’s in a good defensive stance

*Can also be pushed around in the post and in rebounding situations

*Had zone responsibilities but didn’t fight for post position and is fairly easy to pin by the rim

*Has sneaky quick hands but can gamble for steals and pick up fouls/give up baskets

*Has decent timing on the shot blocking attempts in his zone

*Does a good job contesting shooters when he closes out but susceptible to quick drives off the ball fake

*If he’s blown by at the 3 point line, he’s no longer a factor in the play unless the offense resets

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KHAIRI AKILI

Tyler Lydon looks like a guy that might be a Mirza Teletovic due to footspeed. He plays a lot of 4 for Syracuse. I don't think he's the most athletic guy but he might be able to play some 3 or at least be put in PNR situations. He can really shoot the ball. 

Lydon plays for Syracuse so who knows if he can actually defend. Also, does he shoot well enough to make up for all of what he doesn't do great?

Future stretch 4 but might be able to play some 3

Average athlete at best

Can put the ball on the floor every now and again

Shooter

Plays at Syracuse so we don't know if he can defend 

Does he shoot well enough to make up for not doing anything else?

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JAMES BARLOWE - JANUARY 16, 2017