Phoenix Suns: Draft Workouts Day 8 Recap

Trey Lyles

Another stretch-4 who could be on the board when the Suns select their 13th overall pick, Lyles is a 6’10” freshman from Kentucky. At 19 years old, Lyles’ 9’0″ standing reach and 7’2″ wing span give him the tools to help his game translate to the next level.

Though he only shot 13.8 percent from three-point range for the Wildcats, it came on a limited number of attempts (0.8 per game) and it’s an area of his game that’s he’s been working on before making the leap to the pros.

“I’m very comfortable with it now, but I just have to get a lot of reps up with the line difference from high school and college, and the floors, it’s a lot more space when you’re playing in the NBA,” Lyles said. “So it’s something that I have to work on but it’s something I feel like I can excel at.”

Hornacek said that Lyles shot the ball well in his Suns workout, the first pre-draft workout that Lyles has had so far.

You see him out here, you probably get surprised with how well he can shoot the ball and how easily he shoots it,” he said. “He’s a big strong kid, he’ll step out there half a step behind the three-point line and he’s just flicking his wrist when he shoots it. So he does have some shooting ability. Now he’s in the NBA and he gets the chance to show off some of that stuff.”

Although Lyles only averaged 8.7 points and 5.2 rebounds per game while shooting 48.8 percent from the floor in college, that was more a product of how much talent was on that Kentucky roster. John Calipari’s platoon system of swapping five players for the next five limited Lyles to 23 minutes per game this season, and now Lyles is focused on displaying his versatility to NBA teams.

“It was my first time playing the 3 at school last year, but I’m more comfortable playing the 4,” he said. “Me just being able to play the 3 last year helped me out, just my all-around game. Being able to do stuff from the wing area and show that I could guard smaller guys and do stuff like that.”

Like Kaminsky, Lyles is a skilled dribbler and passer for a guy his size, and he has great footwork and a soft touch in the paint as well. If the Suns are confident he can extend his range to the NBA three-point line, his high basketball IQ and versatility make him another strong option at No. 13.

Next: Kelly Oubre