Tyler Ennis
Age: 19 years old
Height: 6’2″
Weight: 180 pounds
Position: PG
NBA Comparison: George Hill/Mario Chalmers
Tyler Ennis is coming out after only one year at Syracuse. Lottery teams and fans are thrilled. Syracuse fans are disappointed, and head coach Jim Boeheim is dismayed. He is only a freshman, but you would never have guessed it the way he carried himself and led the Orange to a 25-0 record out of the gates.
I’d project Ennis as the third best point guard after Dante Exum and Shabazz Napier, mainly because of Exum’s elite athleticism and Napier’s ability to absolutely take over games.
The former ‘Cuse freshman will no doubt be a solid pick for whichever team gets him. I’d project him to be a lock for the top twenty, as some mock drafts have him anywhere from the 15-17 spots. The NBA Combine workouts to be held in Chicago on Thursday and Friday will be a big turning point for Ennis and his fellow draft mates.
Strengths
His knack for keeping himself composed and nailing clutch shots is what most people will talk about at first. He is very unselfish (5.5 assists a game) and team-oriented, always looking to make his teammates better. Ennis knows he doesn’t have to have the ball in his hands at all times for his team to win, and his decision-making skills are one of his strongest traits. His passing is crisp and accurate as he can put the ball in the perfect spot on assists. Ennis is very efficient. He rarely turns the ball over (1.7 a game) and knows how to balance scoring and getting others involved.
An added strength is he is only 19, which means even if he spent a year or two as a project of sorts, he’d still only be 21. That youth and potential is intangible. The ceiling of growth for him is very high due to his age and skillset. He has a 6’5″ wingspan that adds to his defensive presence and makes up for his lack of size. Ennis has been known to create his shot and can score in a variety of ways, and was one of the best at running and defending the pick-and-roll all season.
Weaknesses
He is athletic, but not to an elite degree. Ennis also possesses a small frame- so durability might be a concern for teams looking at him. While a creative scorer, Ennis is not known as a dominant finisher at the rim. His three point shot was pedestrian (35%) as was his overall field goal percentage (41%). His 76% at the free throw line will need to be improved on since he’ll possess the ball primarily.
Another point of concern might be that he was a big part of a team that started off hot (25-0) and fizzled late in the season, finishing 3-6 in its last nine games. Syracuse then lost to Dayton in the second round of the NCAA tournament. While not entirely his fault, the stigma will follow him to a certain degree as he was looked at as a leader on a team that had plenty of talent. He played in Boeheim’s famous 2-3 zone, and learning how to defend individually might set him back a bit.
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Main Photo by G Fiume/Maryland Terrapins/Getty Images
