The 2018 NBA Manifesto
Tyler Lydon
SF/PF - 6’9, 220lbs - 22 years old - 1 year of experience
Lydon was about ninth on the Nuggets’ forward depth chart due to their striking roster imbalance, and never got a minute on the court. Well, that’s not true. He actually got two. But then a season-ending injury shut him down and the prospect of that elusive third minute will have to wait for another season.
In the G-League for the Rio Grande Valley Vipers (where Denver seemingly chose to send all their assignees and two-way players this year), Lydon averaged 13.7 points, 8.9 rebounds, 2.2 assists and 1.1 steals in 14 games, shooting an excellent 71.4% from two-point range, and 37.7% from three. He took more threes than twos, in accordance with his billing as a sweet shooting combo forward/stretch four, yet if he can work off of the threat of that shooting well enough to finish so efficiently from inside the arc, be it through transition, dump-off passes, straight line drives, rolling to the rim and very occasional post touches, that will greatly add to his value.
Lydon came into this rookie season with the expectation that he would be a decently athletic floor spacer and sometime rebounder, but with a fair bit to prove defensively, given his lack of high level experience and all the time spent in the Syracuse zone. It is unfortunate then that because of the injury, he still needs to prove that.
Player Plan: Three years of rookie scale salary remaining. Keep and develop, but that will probably mean the G-League for now.
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SF/PF - 6’9, 220lbs - 22 years old - 1 year of experience
Lydon was about ninth on the Nuggets’ forward depth chart due to their striking roster imbalance, and never got a minute on the court. Well, that’s not true. He actually got two. But then a season-ending injury shut him down and the prospect of that elusive third minute will have to wait for another season.
In the G-League for the Rio Grande Valley Vipers (where Denver seemingly chose to send all their assignees and two-way players this year), Lydon averaged 13.7 points, 8.9 rebounds, 2.2 assists and 1.1 steals in 14 games, shooting an excellent 71.4% from two-point range, and 37.7% from three. He took more threes than twos, in accordance with his billing as a sweet shooting combo forward/stretch four, yet if he can work off of the threat of that shooting well enough to finish so efficiently from inside the arc, be it through transition, dump-off passes, straight line drives, rolling to the rim and very occasional post touches, that will greatly add to his value.
Lydon came into this rookie season with the expectation that he would be a decently athletic floor spacer and sometime rebounder, but with a fair bit to prove defensively, given his lack of high level experience and all the time spent in the Syracuse zone. It is unfortunate then that because of the injury, he still needs to prove that.
Player Plan: Three years of rookie scale salary remaining. Keep and develop, but that will probably mean the G-League for now.