Scouting Report: Tyler Ulis

Name: Tyler Ulis DOB: 1/5/1996 (20) School: Kentucky

Height: 5’10 Weight: 149 Projected Position: PG

Wingspan: 6’2 Standing Reach: 7’4.5

2015-16 Stats:

17.3 ppg, 3.0 rpg, 7.0 apg, 1.5 spg, 2.0 tpg, 3.6:1 A/TO (36.8 mpg)

43.4 FG%, 85.6 FT%, 34.4 3FG%, 56.7 TS%, 49.7 eFG%

23.2 USG%, 34.3 AST%, 11.4 TOV%, 2.3 STL%

SKILLS & ATHLETIC BREAKDOWN

Offense

Ballhandling/Penetration/Passing

Ulis is an excellent ballhandler, with the ability to use both hands well, and able to attack the basket, or create space for his shot, in either direction. His size and speed can make him tough to defend in isolation, and he uses a nice crossover or hesitation dribble to keep defenders off-balance. Ulis shows very good acceleration off his first step, and his size also allows him to take advantage of smaller driving lanes, as he does a very good job keeping his dribble low and close to his body. Ulis’ ideal situation is being able to isolate against a big man off the switch, where there is little chance they will be able to contain him, and he is very good at recognizing and taking advantage of these opportunities quickly before defenders can adjust. Ulis shows excellent control as he maneuvers through the defense, and he is capable of finishing around the basket with either hand. Ulis is a creative finisher around the basket, but he can have trouble finishing against many defenders, so he uses his acceleration off the dribble to try and beat any rim protectors to the basket. Ulis doesn’t seem to mind contact around the basket, though doesn’t seek it out either, but he has developed a variety of quick floaters/runners to allow him to get his shot off at different angles to avoid rim protectors.

Ulis is at his best as a pick-and-roll ballhandler, with the ability to find, or create, his own shots or set up his teammates, either rolling to the rim or spotting up on the perimeter. He is very patient with the ball, drawing defenders and waiting for things to develop, as well as making quick reads. Even surrounded by much bigger players, Ulis has excellent court vision and an innate sense where his teammates will be. Again, Ulis uses his size to his advantage coming off of the screen, as he can often seem to disappear behind it, and with a quick turn of the corner, he into the middle of the defense. He makes good decisions, generally, and he is a strong passer, especially showing great touch on lob passes around the basket from all angles, as well as getting teammates the ball quickly and in the optimal spot. While a great passer in pick-and-roll situations, Ulis also needs the screens if he wants to clear space to get clean looks for his jumper, and he has shown some consistency in both the mid- and long-range areas to knock down shots off the dribble.

Perimeter Shooting

Ulis impressed as a freshman from long-range, knocking down 43 percent of his 77 attempts, but with more minutes and more attempts, he saw a sharp decline in his three-point shooting. Ulis has good form and a fairly quick release, but he is a better shooter off the dribble than he is as a spot shooter. As discussed above, because of his size, it is tough for Ulis to get a lot of great looks, but he uses screens and his dribble well to get the space he needs. When he did have open looks as a spot shooter, he often came up short on the shot, probably a function of needing to get stronger. However, Ulis is an excellent mid-range shooter, especially off the pick-and-roll. He is also developed a very good step-back jumper off the dribble to clear enough space for his shot. Ulis’ shot selection is generally good from the perimeter, and he understands his limitations in terms of needing time and space.

Free Throw Shooting

Ulis is a fantastic free throw shooter, hitting 85 percent from the line during his two years at Kentucky. His speed can cause some problems for defenders, causing them to reach in when as he goes by them, and even at his size, he will go right at defenders around the basket. Ulis has a very good free throw rate, 43 percent, for a player who shoots as many jumpers as he does, and he is the right guy to have the ball in his hands down the stretch of a close game.

More from Hoops Habit

Defense

Perimeter Defense (On/Off Ball)

Ulis, the SEC Defensive Player of the Year, is a very good defender, with the capabilities of disrupting a team’s offense in a couple of different ways. On the ball, Ulis is able to pressure the length of the court if he needs to, and at the minimum, he will start to pressure the ball as soon as it crosses halfcourt. Not only does it force a team to try and run their offense quicker, but the pressure can help Ulis in situations where he is at a big size disadvantage, though he needs to watch a tendency to pressure all the time, as there were plenty of instances where he got beat easily because he was up too far. Ulis shows great lateral movement, reacts well to changes in direction, and he seems to always keep his feet and hands active, forcing offensive players into quick decisions. Also, he is very good at forcing the ballhandler to make a spin move, where he can then make a steal attempt from behind. Ulis will have problems with big and/or physical ballhandlers, though he tries to counter that by forcing them into the help defenders or trying to get the ballhandler to pick up the pace beyond comfort levels. Ulis has a lot of trouble as a pick-and-roll defender, and he needs to work on getting over screens instead of going under, as he usually does, or waiting for a switch.

Off the ball, Ulis positions himself well and again shows great movement, including showing an ability to deny passing lanes effectively. He is active off the ball, moving between help position and his man. Ulis has great awareness, and he sees everything around him well. He anticipates what offensive players are going to do, and he is always looking for spots where he can take advantage of a player not accounting for him. Ulis uses his quick hands well to reach at the ball on passing drivers, or does a very good sneaking up behind a ballhandler with his back turned to him. He does a great job shadowing his man off the ball, and he navigates through off-ball screens efficiently, leaving his opponent little space to get a shot after the catch. Ulis does a decent job closing on shooters on the perimeter, even though he really can’t make a play on many shots; he’s just looking to disrupt things where he can.

Rebounding

At just 5’10 and under 150 pounds, Ulis doesn’t have much impact on the boards, as you’d expect, but he is a smart player, always watching what is happening, and he will be quick to go after long rebounds on both ends of the floor. His hustle especially pays off on the defensive boards, where he can get his team moving into transition quickly once he has the ball in his hands.

Transition

Ulis can be very good in transition, pushing the ball quickly up the floor, often after causing a turnover himself on the defensive end. The spacing on the break allows him to see everything, and he uses his speed and control well to weave through defenders, and the open lanes allow him to get to the rim more often. Ulis can force some passes, and if the defenders choose to stick with him, he can have trouble seeing his teammates or finishing at the basket. He has become better at using the pull-up jumper when he sees defenders heading towards the rim, as well as making sure he draws defenders to free his teammates.

Intangibles/Summary

After impressing as a role player as a freshman, Ulis stepped up in every way as a sophomore, winning both the SEC Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year awards. Known coming into college for his ability to control his team’s offense, Ulis was better than advertised, showing a maturity in his game well beyond his age. He is at his best when he has the ability to create, often out of the pick-and-roll, but he has the speed and ballhandling skills to be a handful to contain in isolation. At just 5’10, and not very solidly built, Ulis is not going to get to the basket all that often, but he does a good job taking advantage of open lanes when he sees them. In the pick-and-roll, his ability to draw defenders and make quick reads does a great job of opening up teammates all over the floor, and while he may not get to the rim often, he has become a very consistent mid-range shooter off the dribble. Ulis still needs to find some consistency from long-range, and he was particularly poor as a spot up shooter, but he does a good job using screens and his dribble to clear space for his shot, which he needs at his size. Ulis is also very dangerous in transition, using his speed and vision to get easy buckets for himself or teammates, and many times the fast break is started off of Ulis’ defensive ability. Calling Ulis a pest on defense is being kind, as he has the ability to disrupt a team’s offense the full length of the floor. He shows great fundamentals in both his on- and off-ball defense, and his speed and quick hands make it impossible for a ballhandler to let up his guard. As on offense, his size does cause some disadvantages, especially as point guards continue to get bigger and stronger, but he still does his best to force them into mistakes with some pressure. Ulis also has a lot of problems defending the pick-and-roll, as he tends to rely on switches or going under the screen, which good players can take advantage of easily. Ulis’ leadership skills on the floor are unquestioned, and he did show a lot of improvement in many areas from his freshman to sophomore years, but his lack of size and strength are going to make things very difficult at the NBA level.

Draft Value: Late 1^st – Early 2^nd Round – #25-35

Even if Ulis was just 6’2, the conversation about him would be much different, but at 5’10, to really make an impact at the NBA level today, you probably have to be either an explosive athlete or have the build and strength to handle a more physical game. Right now, I don’t see either in Ulis, but he is very skilled, and he has learned to use his size and speed to his advantage as much as possible. I think there is a place for him at the NBA level as a back-up point guard, but getting stronger is going to be very important

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