Utah Jazz: Trey Lyles Is Coming Into His Own As a Player
Utah Jazz rookie Trey Lyles has been stepping up since the injury to Rudy Gobert. Does this mean Utah could have another versatile big on their hands? Can Lyles eventually become a hybrid small/power forward?
“His biggest challenge right now is learning all the positions that we want him to play.” — coach Quin Snyder to Tony Jones of the Salt Lake City Tribune
That’s all that needed to be said. Once we heard Jazz coach Quin Snyder say those words, it was clear to see that management and ownership were thinking differently and their ideas with Trey Lyles could be problematic for the rest of the league. If Utah’s management drafted Lyles out of the University of Kentucky because they believe he can turn into a combo forward like we’ve seen during his time in college, then Utah could have a lineup to rival a lot of teams.
“He’s a very intelligent basketball player. He has a lot of skills as a player.”
John Calipari used a three big lineup and rode a 38-game winning streak and a Final Four appearance in the 2015 NCAA Tournament. At the time, many felt Lyles was playing out of position as a small forward, but his production never suggested as such. With the injury to Utah center Rudy Gobert, a door has opened for all of the backup bigs to play, but so far none have been more impressive than Trey Lyles.
Against the Sacramento Kings, it was evident that Lyles could work as a small forward. Utah desperately needs to find perimeter spacing on its team. Right now they’re ranked fourth in three-point percentage but they’re only ranked 20th in three-point makes per game. If Lyles can start to work on his shooting ability sooner rather than later, he could become the person that helps takes this team to the next level.
We saw Utah coach Quin Snyder put Lyles on the perimeter similar to the way that Calipari used to do to him at Kentucky. If his game can translate and he can start hitting shots like the one below, then he could see himself on the floor much more. Even his teammate Gordon Hayward noticed:
"“He’s a very intelligent basketball player,” said Hayward. “He has a lot of skills as a player. He can step up and hit the three, he can take guys off the dribble. It will happen for him, he has to get on the floor a little bit more. He’s going to be alright.”"
Defensively Lyles Could Eventually Become An Answer
The best part of having Lyles on the court is how deceptively athletic he is. Sure he’s not jumping out of the gym like Andrew Wiggins, or his teammate Gobert, but how many people are?
Instead, Lyles uses body position and decent footspeed to cover his tracks. If Utah can develop him and work on his athleticism a tad, he could become a decent defender at small forward.
Defensively against the Kings, Lyles didn’t lag as he covered Omri Casspi on the perimeter. Against the New York Knicks — which was Lyles third straight start — he grabbed a career-high 10 rebounds. Lyles also had to guard All-Star small forward Carmelo Anthony and he didn’t back down from the challenge. The versatility allows Utah to play tall, quick, and efficient on offense.
Right now Lyles isn’t given the attention of his rookie peers but it doesn’t diminish his role on the court with Utah. Would you rather have Joe Ingles, Elijah Millsap, or someone like Lyles who’s 6-foot-10 and athletic guarding the Draymond Green‘s and Boris Diaw‘s of the world?
Either way, we’ll get to see Lyles true worth as a player in the next few weeks because Utah has a tough stretch of games on their upcoming schedule. If Lyles can hold his own against legitimate playoff teams it might be time to start seeing what more can the rookie do for this team. There could be an expanded role waiting for Lyles in the wing and right now he has a glowing opportunity to take it.