2016 NBA Draft Watch List: Tyrone Wallace

Tyrone Wallace, Senior, California, Guard, 6’5, 205

(2014-15, 34.9 mpg) 17.1 ppg, 7.1 rpg, 4.0 apg, 1.3 spg, 2.8 tpg

42.5 FG%, 60.6 FT%, 31.8 3FG%, 48.4 TS%, 45.4 eFG%

31.2 USG%, 1.4:1 A/To, 20.3 DREB%, 11.7 TRB%, 26.0 AST%, 13.9 TOV%, 2.2 STL%

DOB: 6/10/1994 (21) Hometown: Bakersfield, California

2015 First Team All-Pac-12

The Watch List is not meant to replace full scouting reports and is only meant as a guide for who and what to watch for this upcoming season

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After a strong sophomore season, Wallace established himself as one of the country’s top players as a junior, on his way to being named First Team All-Pac-12. A left-handed point guard with good size at 6’5, Wallace’s ability to create scoring chances for himself and teammates off the dribble is the catalyst to the California offense. He handles the ball, with the ability to attack the basket to his left or right easily. Wallace uses long strides and an above-average first step to get by defenders, as well as improving crossover and hesitation dribbles. He has very good body control as he looks to get to the basket, though his ability to finish at the rim needs to improve. Wallace has shown a lot of improvement as a pick-and-roll ballhandler, becoming comfortable making his reads, and hitting his teammates with strong passes. Though not one of his better offensive weapons, Wallace has some ability as a spot-shooter on the perimeter, but he needs work on his shooting mechanics. The same goes for his ability to hit his variety of floaters and short jumpers that he uses when he gets into the defense. Wallace has a nice ability to create the openings he needs for the shots, he just needs to convert. Wallace runs the floor very well, whether he is pushing the ball up the floor himself, or running one of the wings. He does a good job drawing defenders when he has the ball, and he uses his long strides to help him get to the rim quickly before the defense gets back. Defensively, Wallace’s length allows him to disrupt passing lanes and shooters, and he shows good movement, both on and off the ball. He is a good help defender, and he does a good job positioning himself to move between a variety of spots quickly on the floor. He rebounds very well for his size, tracking the ball well and getting to spots quickly to grab the rebound and start the team in transition.

What he needs to show this season: Wallace’s jumper is the biggest thing he needs to improve on heading into his senior year. As I mentioned above, his shooting motion is inconsistent, and at times it even looks like he is pushing the ball instead of shooting it. When he has some time to get set, he does look a bit better, but even then, the motion can be a bit awkward, and even his feet seem to have odd spacing. Also, Wallace can force his shot at times from the perimeter, though it wasn’t always his fault, as he would be forced by time to have to get something up. Forcing is an issue on some of his drives to the basket, attempting to get there even with the help defenders already clogging the lane, and forcing poor turnovers. This is an area where being able to hit the mid and short-range jumpers would help him a lot. While Wallace tends to look to avoid contact as he heads to the basket, he does get to the free throw line a decent amount (~40 percent FT Rate), but his shooting woes can affect him at the line as well, shooting just around 60 percent. The good thing is that Wallace seems to understand the jumper is his weakness and looks to attack the basket more, but he will need to improve for the next level. Defensively, Wallace has continued to improve, but the one area where he really needs to show work is tracking his man off the ball when he looks to help. Even when he’s not in position to help, he seems to be hyper-focused on the ball, losing track of his man making a move behind him. His ability to make quick movements is there, so this is something he can fix with some attention to it.

Where he fits at the next level: At 6’5, Wallace has the size that a lot of teams are looking for at the point guard position, and last season, he showed that he is more than capable of running an effective offense and making good reads and decisions. With a big influx of talent this season in the California freshman class, plus some improving weapons in Jabari Bird and Jordan Mathews, the pressure on Wallace to score should be lessened a bit. If Wallace can spend more time focusing on running the offense and creating, the team should be in great shape, and Wallace should be even more prepared for the NBA level. The jumper will still be a sore point, but some improvement there will help him, as will his defensive ability and potential.

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