NBA Draft: Three prospects improving their draft stock
NBA draft rising prospect No. 2: Tyrell Terry
Tyrell Terry is one of the more intriguing prospects in Wednesday’s draft. He stands a mere 6’3” and weighs 170 pounds soaking wet, with a 6’1.75” wingspan. Despite his stature, he is regarded as one of the best shooters and overall scorers in the draft.
After averaging 14.6 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 3.2 assists per game in his lone season at Stanford, Terry elected to forego his sophomore season and enter the NBA Draft. He was projected to be a second-round pick back in March but is now looking like a borderline lottery pick according to multiple outlets. On the surface, the numbers certainly don’t jump off the screen, but Terry is an elite shooter with seemingly limitless range and a quick, high release.
He does a good job relocating after the pass, running off screens to find an open spot behind the arc, and firing away ever so quickly almost as soon as he catches it.
Last season he posted .441/.408/.895 shooting splits while shooting 48 percent on catch-and-shoot 3-pointers. His 58.9 true shooting percentage was well above the NBA average of 56.5 percent.
He weighed 155 pounds when he declared for the draft but weighed in at 170 pounds at the NBA Draft combine with noticeably more muscle. Over the summer, while discussing his decision to keep his name in the NBA draft as the NCAA eligibility deadline was approaching, Terry told ESPN, “This time off has given me an opportunity to address my weaknesses, to work on my body, so I’m taking advantage of it.”
Even before packing on pounds during this extended break, Terry’s proven to be a crafty finisher around the rim with a layup package straight out of NBA2K. He has the awareness and the soft touch around to score around defenders from awkward angles or against contact. Still, he will need to continually add muscle if he will be able to finish against bigger and more physical NBA players.
Per Synergy, he drove to the basket 26.5 percent of the time when running pick and roll sets. He ranked in the 96th percentile on such plays, averaging 1.462 points per possession with a 66.7 field goal percentage.
He’s a solid passer, but scouts would like to see him develop into a more advanced playmaker than the one they got to see at Stanford.
Terry doesn’t just give his all on the offensive side. Despite being an undersized guard, he is equally as competitive on the defensive end, and he’s an excellent team defender and rebounder. He averaged 1.6 steals per game last season and has a penchant for drawing offensive fouls, and shown a willingness to dive on the floor and fight for loose balls.
We all knew this already, but it was magnified in the NBA playoffs; undersized point guards are a target and can be a liability on defense. Terry must continue to add weight and muscle for his future NBA team(s) to have a glimmer of hope that he will hold his own on defense at the next level.
Too often, he picks up his dribble and relies on his jumper when driving. He needs to do a better job keeping a live dribble and navigating his way into the paint or look for the open man. This aspect of his game should improve once he starts working with NBA development coaches.
Former ESPN NBA Draft insider Chad Ford ranks Terry as the 19th best prospect in the draft, and The Ringer’s Kevin O’Connor ranks him 8th. Both predict that he will be drafted 17th overall by the Minnesota Timberwolves in their most recent mock drafts.
If you still doubt how much his draft stock has risen over the last seven months, I leave you with this quote from O’Connor’s extensive piece on Tyler Terry:
"“When The Ringer’s 2020 NBA Draft Guide launched on April 15, Terry ranked eighth on my big board…Most executives doubted he should even stay in the 2020 class…But now, because of Terry’s physical and skill progression and the extra time teams have had to watch the Stanford games they might have missed, nearly every single executive I’ve chatted with believes he’s an obvious first-round pick.”"
According to O’Connor, all 30 teams have interviewed Terry, and he’ll be one of the prospects invited to the NBA draft’s virtual green room.