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Trey Lyles, Power Forward, 6’10”, University of Kentucky, 19 Years Old
Trey Lyles’ offensive game really revolves around his ability to keep defenses honest, and forcing them to not help as much as they usually would when the ball is coming through the lane. Lyles’ mid-range shot is solid, and reliable. He can knock down open threes, but it isn’t a strength of his. He rebounds the ball nicely on the offensive side, and can finish around the rim. He doesn’t do a great job of creating his own offense, though. That could be a hard trait to judge due to the talent surrounding him last season. His points will have to come within the offense, but he will adjust to that aspect well. He is a good slasher, and always seems to find the ball at the right time for easy points.
The real question in Lyles’ game comes on the defensive end. It’s not that he is lazy or unintelligent when it comes to defensive schemes and gameplans. At Kentucky, Lyles was mostly matched up with the opposing teams’ small forward, a position Lyles will not be guarding regularly in the NBA. Instead, he will be matched up with power forwards, who will be much stronger than any college players. It is hard to gauge how Lyles will do against the power forwards because of how little time he spent against them in college. Other than that, Lyles will work hard on his defensive game, whether that means getting bigger, or watching extra film. He is an intelligent defender, but his post defense has yet to be seen.
When referring to Lyles’ career ceiling, reaching an All-Star level has been the common belief throughout the college basketball season. That said, he will have to really grow as a scorer to be able to reach that type of pinnacle in his career, and would have to develop a clear role on his team. Instead, Lyles could very well turn out to be a quality role player that will do everything well, but not one thing great.
While doing many things well, Lyles’ main strength in the NBA will be his shooting ability. Stretching the floor has become an essential piece to any teams’ offense, and Lyles can contribute. He won’t hit too many threes, but he can develop into that kind of player. His weakness lies in his in-between offense game. While he will be able to knock down shots, he won’t be able to back down small forward’s, nor will he take power forward’s off the dribble. Without a main way of scoring, Lyles will be dependent on scoring within the offense.
A player comparable to the type of player Lyles could be is the Jazz/Bulls version of Carlos Boozer. Coming out of Duke, Boozer had a similar body type as Lyles, and had a silky jumper. Boozer put on some muscle, which helped his rebounding numbers. If Lyles — who has nice rebounding instincts — were to bulk up, he’d have a chance to be that type of player.
In terms of NBA readiness, Trey Lyles will have a few years until he can fully develop a role on his team. He shouldn’t have to be a starter from the get-go, unless his team is really desperate for a power forward. Don’t expect Lyles to compete for the Rookie of the Year award, but he could make a positive impact his rookie season.
