To help readers get to know top NBA draft prospects, Insider offers a 360-degree look at many of them in a concise and thorough scouting report featuring three expert perspectives: Kevin Pelton (analytics), Fran Fraschilla (scouting) and Chad Ford (NBA front offices). Here's a look at Trey Lyles.
WARP projection: 1.1 (40th among players in top 100)
Comparables: Spencer Hawes (95.3), Quincy Miller (94.3), Al-Farouq Aminu (94.2), Brandon Bass (93.5)
Strengths: None
Weaknesses: Usage, Rebound%, Block%
The analytics perspective
The statistics from Lyles' lone season at Kentucky are colored by the fact that he played out of position at small forward alongside monster defenders Willie Cauley-Stein and Karl-Anthony Towns. That Lyles was as effective as he was on the glass is a positive sign, and he particularly excelled on the offensive glass, where there are fewer diminishing returns to playing with great teammates.
While Lyles lacks college 3-point range, he made enough midrange jumpers to keep opponents honest while playing on the perimeter. Assuming he moves to power forward in the NBA, his shooting will go from a minus to a plus. The comparison to Bass, another perimeter-oriented power forward with the quickness to defend bigger small forwards, makes a lot of sense.
-- Kevin Pelton
The scouting perspective
How does a first-round pick get lost in the shuffle at Kentucky? Playing out of position. With the injury to Alex Poythress early in Kentucky's season, the 6-foot-10, 235-pound Lyles saw most of his playing time at the small forward position in the latter half of the season by necessity. But I have seen Lyles at his best around the basket. Ultimately, his skills will fit better in the NBA as a face-up power forward with the skill to hit midrange jumpers and, ultimately, the ability to score around the basket in the NBA. His size, athleticism and game remind me of David West at Xavier, although West played all four seasons there before heading to the league.
Lyles has the size and body frame to score around the basket, although he is not an explosive athlete. In fact, while he made 74 percent of his shots around the basket this season, his game is often based on guile and intelligence. He is an up-and-under guy who will not be able to score over length early in his career. Watch how many times he double-pumps while in the air around the basket.
Playing away from the basket will certainly help Lyles, although he is not a 1-on-1 player. Rather, he is an above-average 2-point shooter at 39 percent. And ironically, many of his misses were long 2s. That's not a surprise since he only made four of his 29 3-point attempts.
Defensively, he will be much better suited to defend bigger players in the NBA. In fact, his rebounding numbers were average at best for a player his size, in part because he defended away from the basket so much. And he had a plethora of teammates who were the same size but defended closer to the basket.
Right now, Lyles is more potential and promise than production, but his being hidden at Kentucky will make some NBA team very happy. They are getting a guy who would have been the best player on most Top 25 teams this past season, and he turns just 20 in November.
-- Fran Fraschilla
The front-office perspective
Lyles was ranked as one of the top 10 freshmen in the country, and despite playing out of position all year at Kentucky, he's still widely regarded as a potential lottery pick.
Lyles' greatest skill is a high basketball IQ and a sweet midrange game that forces opponents to guard him both facing the basket and on the block. While not an elite rebounder or athlete, Lyles uses his immense skill set to impact the game on both ends of the floor.
His lack of explosive athleticism limits his draft stock somewhat, as did his more complementary role on UK this season, but he still should land somewhere in the 12-to-20 range.
"I'm a big Lyles guy," one scout said. "Watched him a bunch in high school. The Kentucky thing is helping a lot of these guys, but we'd be talking about him higher if he was on a team that really ran things through him. He's not a crazy athlete or anything, but he's bigger than you think and just knows how to play. He's a power forward in the NBA and once he's in that position, everyone's going to like him. If you get him in the middle of the draft? You got a steal."
-- Chad Ford