The Syracuse Orangemen came into the 2015-16 season with fairly low expectations but they started off their season extremely well as they won the Battle 4 Atlantis tournament and were ranked 14th in the AP Poll. Syracuse has since lost their lost two games, to two very good teams, and have dropped out of the polls but they are clearly better than many people expected and a big reason for that is freshman forward Tyler Lydon. Lydon has played very well so far this season and it has made an impression on NBA scouts, according to Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv.
Lydon came into this season off most people's radar not just as an NBA prospect but also as a college player. Lydon was not on any draft boards when the season started but now he has moved into the conversation as a potential first round pick in the future. Lydon is not on the draft board for the 2016 draft but as of right now he is projected as the 16th overall pick in the 2017 draft, according to Draftexpress, as he is expected to stay in school for more than one year.
Lydon was ranked in the top 100 recruits for the 2015 class but he wasn't exactly highly touted. ESPN had Lydon ranked as the 76th best prospect in the country and the 18th best power forward but he has come in and made an instant impact for Jim Boeheim's team. Lydon had his coming out party at the Battle 4 Atlantis where he was a major reason Syracuse was able to win the tournament that featured a stacked field as he made seven of his 10 three point attempts which set the record for three point percentage in that tournament.
Overall this season Lydon is just fourth on the team at 10.0 points per game but he is second with 7.3 rebounds and he is shooting 49 percent from the field and 48 percent from three. Lydon is not the focus of Syracuse's offense as he is more of ancillary player but he has done well with the limited shots he has been given. Lydon is fifth on the team in field goal attempts and has taken about half as many as both Michael Gbinije and Trevor Cooney.
Lydon is only 6 foot-8 which is a bit undersized to play NBA power forward in a traditional sense but then again Draymond Green is just 6 foot-7 and is one of the best power forwards in the league. Lydon might be a bit of a tweener at the next level but his shooting ability will likely help him find a role as he can be successful as a stretch four or as a spot up shooter.
