Trey Lyles

Trey Lyles
PF - 6’10, 234lbs - 22 years old - 3 years of experience

The trade that brought him here will have to be forgotten about. Doesn’t matter now. It’s happened. Irrespective of what Donovan Mitchell hereafter goes on to do, Lyles can still be judged on his own merits. And to judge him on said own merits reveals a break-out player that is pretty good at this NBA thing.

Starting with a jump shot that went from potential-laden to smooth as eggs in the course of one season, Lyles became a very valuable role-playing four man this season, particularly alongside Jokic, a player who could so often find him open in the half court or in transition. Also scoring from the mid- and low-post areas on occasion, Lyles recorded considerably improved numbers in all categories compared to his first two seasons, and although his face-up nature and perimeter assignments generally draw him away from the rebounding glass (especially on the offensive end), he would get back and do his bit there, too.

Defensively, the area in which Lyles had the most red flags, he did OK. Arguably better long term suited to guarding perimeter actions even if not the most fleet of foot, Lyles contested well around the basket, and generally makes the same sort of good reads on this end as he does offensively. Not having any one great physical advantage on that end caps his upside, but the results this season were not too terrible.

Considering Denver’s cluttered frontcourt, Lyles’s role next season looks to be as Millsap’s backup, or at least it will be if he is not benched for more two centre or two small forward units. Thereafter, who knows. But Lyles has taken Hernangomez’s place on the team, and has upside for more.

Player Plan: One year of rookie scale salary remaining. Extension eligible but it will be hard given the lack of ready space going forward, both financial and rotational. If he took like $7 million or something it would work, but he surely wouldn’t, in anticipation of eight figures next summer.

Trey Lyles
PF, 6’10, 234lbs, 21 years old, 2 years of experience

Lyles's sophomore year was not a good one. The additions of Diaw and Johnson were always going to put a squeeze on his spot in the rotation, yet Lyles still played nearly 1,200 regular season minutes, not all that far short of the amount of his rookie campaign, while the level of play in that time was very much short. Lyles took a lot more shots and missed a lot more shots, especially from three-point range; it is understood that the three-point shot is to be the way he makes his mark in the league, yet the results are not there yet, and nor is he contributing elsewhere. Lyles also shot far worse from two-point range, with a lot of misses inside the paint, rebounding poorly and making no significant mark on defence. His size, length, decent athleticism, handle and vision are a good package theoretically, yet he has done little with them, and in joining a Den-ver team with an equally multi-optioned power forward rotation (especially if Gallinari stays), a turnaround is certainly not automatic.

Player Plan: Two years of rookie scale salary remaining. Not a bad prospect, even if there is no one part of the NBA game he can call his own. And certainly very young. But if Gallinari returns, his role will be further reduced.