The Rundown:
There are times, and there are prospects when it becomes clear to you, that draft philosophy can only get someone so far. That is the situation I find myself in when evaluating TyTy Washington. A smallish guard (I don’t 100% buy the 6’3 listing) who doesn’t have tremendous burst leading to a very low paint touch generation, whose only exceptional skill is mid range jump shooting, and is older for a freshman really shouldn’t be this high on a draft big board for me. But watching him play, I simply see the light. Eventually, philosophy needs to make way for what true draft evaluation is all about, figuring out which players can play basketball really well. Folks, TyTy Washington can play basketball really well.
Defensively, he is above average, but nothing to write home about. He uses his 6’9 (not sure about this listing either) wingspan really well at times, pressing the ball handler and causing a bit of a disturbance. He rarely gambles for steals, instead opting to set up base and weather the storm of the offense with this solid lateral quickness and frisky hands. He isn’t the strongest guy in the world, but his frame is sturdy, there aren’t a lot of guards in the NBA that will be able to easily push him off of his spots. He has a very fundamental style of defense, from what I have gathered, rarely making mistakes but not necessarily making good things happen. There isn’t a world where TyTy Washington is getting attacked at the defensive end, and he’s smart enough to know when to make rotations, and maybe that is all that matters. However, drafting TyTy with the expectation that he’s going to lock up the opposing teams best guard is a bit unfair. He’ll do perfectly average for someone his size, he’ll navigate screens with average competency, he’ll slide his feet at around the mean level. He is a solid plus defender in college, he’ll be a solid average defender at the next level, he just doesn’t really stand out to me on that end of the floor.
Offensively is where the picture begins to look a little bit prettier for TyTy. To start, his playmaking. I don’t think he’s quite on the level of passer as a Jean Montero, he’s maybe a little bit worse than Kennedy Chandler, but he makes advanced reads on the regular and has the accuracy and wherewithal to capitalize on those reads. One of the most important parts of my philosophy for point guards is an expectation that if given the opportunity, they are able to consistently make a good offense out of the pick and roll. No matter how many times this play is called, a great point guard prospect should be capable of dissecting a defense time and time again with this simple play. I don’t think TyTy is an out of this world passer, but I do think he is nearing that level as a pick and roll decision maker. Screens really open up his game (more of that later), and especially with the picks of Oscar Tshiewbe, TyTy dominates in the P&R game. He slithers around the screen, and has a multitude of options. He can take a few steps to the side and nail the mid range jump shot, he can keep his momentum going and finesse his way into a layup, he can hit the rolling Oscar with a pinpoint pass, he can jail his man up with his back and draw a foul, he just makes good things happen! This is 100% where I am the most confident that TyTy will translate easily to the next level. The rest of his playmaking game is good, not great. He has legitimate manipulation skills, using his eyes and ball fakes to open up the reads he wants, not just capitalizing on the reads the defense has already given him. He doesn’t really have a ton of skip passes in his arsenal, and he isn’t breaking any new ground with his passing or ball handling creativity as a Montero might do, but if a guy gets open or he sees a guy that could be open with a little look away, that player better be ready for the ball right in his chest. One of the bigger issues with his playmaking stems from his lack of rim pressure. Without a screen, defenses rarely collapse on Washington because he just doesn’t give them a need to. He has significant trouble getting by his guy be it off the catch or off the dribble, and the lack of secondary help defensive attention he brings really limits his playmaking ceiling. However, at the end of the day his pick and roll playmaking and his ability to simply make an offense flow (he never has sticky hands) are just too intriguing to pass up.
TyTys scoring package is another example of great in some areas, just good on the whole. To start, his mid range shooting. That may seem like a bit of an odd place to begin but his ability to knock down any and every midrange shot is legitimately astounding. His touch in this area is absurd, and it always seems as if he is wide open when pulling up from this region. I don’t like throwing out unrealistic comps for players, but at this level at least, his ability to shoot the crap out of the rock on 2 point jump shots is Demar Derozan-esque. TyTy can hit them fading away, on a step back, stopping on a dime, off spins, anything you can think of Washington has a surplus in his toolbox. This really opens up his pick and roll game, as the defense has to laser in on TyTy to stop the mid range game… inevitably leaving an open Oscar Tshiewbe in the paint. The rest of his scoring game is a bit iffier, but I have faith. He can hit the three off of a standstill, at a solid clip. His offball movement as a whole is a solid plus at this stage. The pull up 3 is still a work in progress, but I expect it to translate at some point. I think that TyTy’s three point percentage will take dip in the NBA, but he will consistently be a plus shooter. It’s the interior where I worry about his scoring. He can finish in the interior pretty well… when he gets there. I wouldn’t call it settling for mid range jumpers because that is the only shot he can get, he just isn’t quick enough to get all the way to the hole. TyTy’s athleticism on the whole isn’t great, and it shows especially when he is trying to drive to the rim. If the most efficient area on the court isn’t really an option for you, you have to be pretty darn good everywhere else to make up for it. His highly advanced floater game should make up for some of the woes getting to the paint, but it won’t alleviate everything. But at the end of the day, I know TyTy can play basketball really really well, and that has to count for something
The Synopsis:
Beautiful midrange and floater game on offense, good off the ball and off the catch shooting, needs to develop pull up 3. Very smart, savvy player, understands the fundamentals and rarely makes the wrong decision. Great in the pick and roll, ok defensively, the meh athleticism is all that really holds him back.
Shades of:
Terry Rozier, Brandon Knight, Shelvin Mack, a tiny tiny bit of Chris Paul, maybe some Billups? Devin Harris?
