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2017 Orlando Magic Draft Preview: Who is Tyler Lydon?

By Philip Rossman-Reich

Dec 3, 2016; Syracuse, NY, USA; Syracuse Orange forward Tyler Lydon (20) puts up a shot over North Florida Ospreys forward Wajid Aminu (2) during the first half of a game at the Carrier Dome. Syracuse won the game 77-71. Mandatory Credit: Mark Konezny-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 3, 2016; Syracuse, NY, USA; Syracuse Orange forward Tyler Lydon (20) puts up a shot over North Florida Ospreys forward Wajid Aminu (2) during the first half of a game at the Carrier Dome. Syracuse won the game 77-71. Mandatory Credit: Mark Konezny-USA TODAY Sports /
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The Bad

Tyler Lydon though has a lot of the tools needed to be a role player, but really not much more.

While he is athletic and long, his athleticism is not top-end athleticism. It works in the college game and certainly in a 2-3 zone, but it is not among the best athleticism in this year’s draft or in the NBA.

Lydon has a lot of good skills, but no great skills.

There is plenty of suggestion his 3-point shooting will translate — he shot 80.9 percent from the foul line and continues to improve his free-throw stroke. That suggests his ability to improve his shooting still.

His rebounding too suggests it will translate — although rebounding out of a zone is different than rebounding man to man in slight ways.

The key thing with Lydon is to limit expectations and carve a defined role. He is not going to be able to put the ball on the floor and create. Outside of spot-up shooting or coming off free on a pick and roll, he is not as reliable a shooter. One dribble or a little bit of pressure gets him in trouble.

Defensively, Lydon seems to have all the lateral quickness to be at least a passable defender. But no one really knows. And his athleticism is good, but not top-end. There is no telling what he could do defensively or where his potential lies.

But the truth is with Lydon, his skill set will lock him into a very narrow role. Lydon can develop into a stretch-4, and a unique one at that who can run to the rim and dunk. There are not many power forwards like him with that skill set.

But it is also unclear whether Lydon can reach that potential. His skill set is really defined at this point. And the potential for growth seems lower than most. Especially for someone the team would spend a first-round pick.