FanPost

Tyler Honeycutt GSoM Draft Profile

Okay, so I'm gonna do the draft profile on Tyler Honeycutt. However, I'll try to keep the cut-and-paste to a minimum. Also, most of the articles on draft sites like Draft Express are from his freshman season, not his sophomore season.

Name: Tyler Honeycutt

Position: SF

Height: 6'8'' Weight: 200 lbs

Age: 21 years old

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via extras.mnginteractive.com

Summary:

Tyler Honeycutt took the college by storm in his freshman year at UCLA. He averaged 7.2 points, 6.5 rebounds, 1.5 steals, 1.2 blocks and 2.7 assists per game in only 27 minutes of action per night. He shot .496 from the field, which is pretty amazing for a small forward, and wowed many people with his athleticism. He was a guy who could seemingly do everything - pass, shoot, and defends, and was versatile for his position, able to defend the perimeter as well as block shots near the basket.

However, this is not the entire story of Tyler Honeycutt. He stayed at UCLA for another year, and no matter how you look at it his production decreased. Despite playing an increased 35 mpg, Honeycutt averaged 12.8 points, 7.2 rebounds, 2.8 assists, .9 steals, 2.1 blocks, and shot a shocking .406 from the field, massively down from his freshman season. It appears as if he did not improve much from his freshman year, although he still has the skills and athleticism to play in the NBA.

Pros:

Offensively, Tyler Honeycutt is like a Swiss Army Knife. He can do several things well, including shoot, pass, dribble, and play in the post. He has a high basketball IQ and could evolve into a point forward type of player. His height allows him to pull up over his defender to hit a mid-range jump shot, and he is athletic enough to attack the rim. One of the best things about him is that he can rebound the ball very well despite being a small forward. This shows his ball awareness and his willingness to get down and dirty and fight larger players for the ball.

Defensively, Tyler Honeycutt is tall for a small forward, and athletic to guard multiple positions on the floor. He can also get up and block shots, and has length which allows him to reach out and steal the ball. Though not a lockdown defender by any means, he provides decent defense, and his ability to guard multiple positions could become useful. His ability to block shots could come into play as a help defender.

Cons:

Offensively, although he can do everything, he does not do one thing especially well. Although he can pass, Tyler Honeycutt cannot dribble and turns the ball over way too much, averaging a 1:1 assist-to-turnover ratio in his two years at UCLA. He is thin and cannot post up stronger defenders, forcing him to shoot over them. In addition, Tyler Honeycutt appeared to become more passive his sophomore year, opting to take the jump shot instead of taking it to the rim. His jump shot still needs improvement, but it can be corrected. In addition, he still lacks the ability to move off the ball, something that will become important when he is not the main ball handler.

Defensively, Tyler Honeycutt is not big enough and gets caught on many screens. He is also unable to defend the post well due to his lack of size, and cannot handle the pounding inside. He is also not consistently active on defense, lacking the mental desire to play defense for the entirety of the game, and sometimes gets caught napping by the opponent.

My thoughts:

Although he was projected by many scouts to take a jump in his sophomore year, Tyler Honeycutt if anything took a step back. This raises the question of his maturity level - did he quit on his team because he knew he was going to declare for the draft? Though he did still have his highlight blocks, he often looked disengaged on the offensive and defensive end, opting to stand around instead of help his teammates. It was as if he was more concerned with not getting injured instead of helping his team compete for a NCAA championship. While he certainly does have the physical skills to make it into the NBA, one wonders about the mental aspect of his game, and whether he would be willing to commit everything to the team.

Nevertheless, Tyler Honeycutt has a great pedigree. UCLA has churned out players like Russell Westbrook, Kevin Love, Jrue Holiday, and Luc Richard Mbah a Moute. Some of these guys had questions surrounding them before the draft, and they all have overcome them and shown that they are quality NBA players (or All-Stars in the case of Westbrook and Love). For some reason, it appears UCLA players are better suited for the NBA. Tyler Honeycutt deserves some consideration for the lottery teams, considering the weak crop of players in the 2011 Draft and his UCLA pedigree.

Warriors Corner

Does he fit the Warriors?

Ah, now we're getting to the meat of the matter. Although Tyler Honeycutt does seem like an intriguing prospect, he is not what the Warriors really need right now. The Dubs appear set with Dorell Wright at the SF position, and Tyler Honeycutt's inability to defend the post is a deal-breaker, considering the lack of post defense the Warriors have. However, he is only 21 years of age, and if he develops his skills, especially his ball-handling and perimeter defense, he could be a solid player for years to come.

Final Verdict: No. Though his rebounding would be valuable for the Warriors, the Dubs just don't need another lanky forward on their team.

This FanPost is a submission from a member of the mighty Golden State of Mind community. While we're all here to throw up that W, these words do not necessarily reflect the views of the GSoM Crew. Still, chances are the preceding post is Unstoppable Baby!