Draft Profile: Tyler Ulis

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Celtics guard Isaiah Thomas has always been driven by a chip on his shoulder due to his lack of size; the same can be said about the University of Kentucky's Tyler Ulis. The 5-foot-9, 149-pound point guard had one of the top facilitating campaigns in Kentucky’s storied history this past season, as he dished out a Wildcat-record 246 assists. The consensus first-team All-American also averaged 17.3 PPG and was named SEC Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year, proving – just like Thomas has – that lack of size is not necessarily an obstacle in the sport of giants.

Possessions Scouted from 2015-16 Season:

OFFENSE: Limited, unavailable in synergy

DEFENSE: Limited, unavailable in synergy

While watching Kentucky prospects over the last two seasons, my eye has always been drawn to Tyler Ulis. He is a competitive, talented player who brings a lot to the game. However, he is severely undersized, both from a height and frame standpoint. Ulis is an ultra-quick point guard who plays with poise and at a great speed. He is a quick decision-maker and has excellent vision and passing skills. He is a true point guard and a leader. His excellent handle and quickness helps him create his shot, and he is a great finisher when he can get a clean look. However, clean looks are hard to come by at his size. Ulis has a diverse and high-level floater game in his arsenal, and he is a respectable shooter. His shot will become more consistent in the pros. Ulis size is a detriment on defense, but he still makes his mark at that end. He possesses many other strengths: length (for his size), quickness, quick and strong hands and a high motor. He gets into the ball and speeds opposing guards up. He is an intelligent defender with good anticipation. Opponents would likely describe him as an annoying defender. If Ulis was 6-foot-4, we'd be talking about a high lottery pick. He has many of the skills we look for in the NBA, but his size is a major concern.

Tyler Ulis was born on Jan. 5, 1996 in Southfield, Mich. to Kelly Reed and James Ulis. His cousins, Jamar Butler and former Big Ten Defensive player of the Year Travis Walton, played collegiate basketball at Ohio State and Michigan State, respectively, and another cousin, Shareese Ulis, played for the Cincinnati women’s team. He played high school ball at Marian Catholic in Chicago Heights, Ill., and became the program’s all-time leader in points (2,335), assists (578) and steals (283). He started his first game as a freshman, despite being only 5-foot-3 at the time. During his senior season, he averaged 23.0 points, 6.8 assists and 3.7 rebounds, and was selected to play in the McDonald’s All-America and Jordan Brand Classic games. Scout ranked Ulis as the No. 20 recruit in the nation for the class of 2014, while Rivals rated him No. 21 and ESPN had him at No. 25. The point guard went on to play two seasons at University of Kentucky, choosing the Wildcats’ program over the likes of Michigan State, Iowa and USC. He played 37 games, averaging 23.8 minutes per contest, as a freshman and posted 5.6 PPG and a team-high 3.65 APG. He recorded a season-high 14 points during Kentucky’s Battle for the Bluegrass rivalry game against No. 4 Louisville, and earned MVP honors for his performance in the 58-50 win. Ulis broke out during his sophomore season after the departure of the Harrison twin guards – Aaron and Andrew. He averaged 17.3 PPG, 7.0 APG, 3.0 RPG and 1.5 SPG, while playing 36.8 minutes per game. He led the SEC in assists (246), minutes (1,288), was second in free throw percentage (85.6 percent), fourth in points (606) and fifth in steals (51). His assist mark was the fifth-highest in the nation, and the top single season mark in Wildcat history. The consensus first-team All-American was showered with a number of awards, including SEC Player of the Year, SEC Defensive Player of the Year and the Bob Cousy Award for top point guard in the nation. Ulis posted eight double-doubles during the campaign, including six over a nine-game span late in the season. He notched a career-high 30 points in the SEC Championship Game, while playing all 45 minutes of Kentucky’s overtime win over Texas A&M. He also tallied five assists in the effort, making him the first Wildcat to record 30 points and five dimes in a game since former Celtic Tayshaun Prince did so in 2001. Ulis averaged 18.5 PPG and 5.0 APG during Kentucky’s two-game NCAA Tournament run, including a 27-point performance in the Wildcats’ second-round loss to Indiana. He declared for the NBA Draft on April 6.