#8 Detroit: Trey Lyles (Kentucky)

41 - Trey Lyles (Kentucky)

8 Detroit

6-10
240
PF
Kentucky
Fr.

•     Birthday: 11/5/95
•     NBA Position: Power Forward
•     Class: Freshman
•     Ht: 6-10
•     Wt: 240
•     Hometown: Indianapolis, IN
•     High School: Arsenal Tech
• NBA Comparison: Carlos Boozer

Strengths:
Has good size, strength, and an excellent frame ... Great length (nearly 7'4 wingspan) ... Very smooth player with good touch ... Improving conditioning ... Good physical tools ... Nice upper body strength ... High basketball IQ ... Knows when to cut to the basket and when to drift out to the perimeter for an open shot ... Does the little things well and hustles ... Fundamentally sound ... Sets solid screens for teammates ... Versatile and a do-it-all player ... Can score from numerous spots on the floor ... Smooth offensive game ...Very skilled player on offense ... Can score the ball in a multitude of ways from inside or outside ... Good (but not great) outside shooter ... Nice form on his jumper ... Capable of knocking down open 3-pointers and can space the floor ... High release point on jump shot ... Great spot up shooter and can pull up from mid-range ... At his best offensively when's he's in the post/paint ... Displays polished footwork, good body control, and a soft touch around the rim … Patient on offense ... Has a variety of post up and face up moves ... Can score with his back to the basket ... Possesses an effective spin move ... Able to finish at the rim through contact ... Can score with jump hooks and mid-range jumpers (15 to 18 feet from basket) ... Capable of scoring with both hands ... Savvy shot creator off the dribble/can put the ball on the floor ... Attacks the basket well when bigger/slower players are defending him on the perimeter ...Willing passer with good court vision and feel for the game ... Effective passer out of the post and out of dribble drive penetration ... Has shown that he could be a good ball handler and distributor from both forward spots ... Active and aggressively goes after defensive and offensive boards ... Can rebound in traffic ... Runs the floor will in transition ... His length allows him to bother shooters on the perimeter and force them into bad shots ... Can be versatile on the defensive end in terms of guarding more than one position ... Plays physical, tough, and is reliable and a hard worker ...

Weaknesses:
Does not do one thing at an elite level ... Not a high flyer. A smooth athlete, but not very explosive ... Remains to be seen, but could potentially be relegated to a stretch 4 at the next level because of his lack of explosiveness ... Not especially quick, lacks speed ... Needs to improve his on-ball defense ... Does not possess great lateral quickness, which results in him getting beat off the bounce too often ... Struggles with defending quicker players ... Not overly athletic (for NBA's standards) ... Inconsistent and struggles from the 3-point line (currently shooting 13 percent) ... Does not overmatch anyone on offense with the strength he has ... Needs to add more strength to his build and bulk up ... Slow-footed … Is not known for his shot blocking/rim protecting abilities … Does not have the abilities to be a good individual defender right now, especially in space ... Does not come up with many steals ... Average low post and perimeter defender ... Was asked to play as a 3 for much of the time, which played to his strengths as a face up scorer, but didn't help to improve upon his back to the basket skills ...

Notes:
Although he's sometimes Kentucky's forgotten man and most underrated player, NBA talent evaluators know the potential he possesses ... The former Mr. Indiana Basketball has an old man's game, but would most certainly be racking up double-doubles for any other school that is not loaded with front court players like the Wildcats ... Lyles is gifted offensively, and is very productive as a post player even though he's played out of position (at the 3 instead of the 4) for most of the year ... It may be easy to forget because he's surrounded by so much size, but he is a 6-foot-10 235-pounder who can handle the ball, is a good passer, and can knock down shots from various spots on the floor, though he does not hit 3-pointers consistently yet ... His overall season averages do not jump out at you (8.7 points on 49 percent shooting, 5.4 rebounds and 1.1 assists), but he's been a key part of Kentucky's success despite not getting the national recognition as some of his teammates ... Ballooned in weight in the summer between his junior and senior seasons of high school ...

Tajh Jenkins 3/28/15

Strengths:
Trey is an extremely skilled offensive player with great footwork ... He has a great face up game and the ability to consistently hit 15-18 ft. shots ... Highly skilled and polished 4 ... Has the potential to be a great pick and pop guy… Consistent right handed jump hook in the post ... Good rebounder who grabs every rebound strong with two hands ... Outstanding outlet passer who also passes well out of the post finding open 3 point shooters ... Smart, fundamental player ... Runs the floor well ... Not a shot blocker but is a solid defender who uses his strength to guard in the post and his 7 ft. wingspan to contest shots ... Good length with a 7-foot wingspan ...

Weaknesses:
Not a great athlete. Lacks an explosive vertical which sometimes results in him not finishing around the basket ... Has improved upper body strength but could still use some toning up. Added weight over the summer but it severely limited his mobility and he has since trimmed down. May always struggle to carry a great deal of weight and retain a high level of agility and quickness ... Must improve lateral quickness in order to guard quicker players. Does not appear to have a great deal of untapped potential ...

Overall:
Trey is a fierce competitor and a great teammate who is a natural leader on the floor… He is very unselfish and excels at getting teammates open looks… He has a great opportunity to be an immediate starter for John Calipari at Kentucky… With his offensive skill set, if Trey can continue to build muscle and improve his foot speed he has the potential to be a lottery pick in the future ...

Notes:
Born in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada ... Measured at 6'9.5 (in shoes) 228 lbs, with a 7'0 wingspan at the 2012 LeBron James Skills Academy ...