Tyler Ulis – The Little Sun That Could
Most readers should remember the children’s book “The Little Engine that Could”.
I believe Tyler Ulis is “The Little ‘Sun that Could”.
In the book, a long stranded train needs to be pulled over a tall mountain. Larger trains are asked to pull it but refuse. So, the request is sent to a smaller engine, Thomas, who agrees to try and while chanting “I think I can,” he succeeds. The moral of the story is the little engine, determined, overcomes a seemingly impossible task.
It is not easy being short in this league, even in the modern day version filled with guards who can take over games leading to wins.
Phoenix Suns
Tyler Ulis is listed at 5’10”, but that’s probably being polite. He is more than likely 5’9″ or under. In the history of the NBA, there have only been 25 players listed at that height or shorter.
Muggsy Bogues, Earl Boykins, Spud Webb, Nate Robinson, Isaiah Thomas, Avery Johnson, Damon Stoudamire, Charlie Criss, Calvin Murphy and Michael Adams are the few that have been successful enough to stand out.
What these players lack in height and strength, they must make up for in effort and heart. They must be filled with will, determination, and a passion for the game, while having an even stronger work ethic than their peers.
Tyler has all of that in him, and then some.
He is a true point guard. In the words of his Kentucky Head Coach John Calipari, “he is the best floor general Kentucky has had since I’ve coached.”
That’s saying a lot considering who Calipari has recruited to the college basketball powerhouse, including fellow Suns Eric Bledsoe and Brandon Knight, as well as John Wall of the Wizards.
Ulis averaged 42% from the field and 26% from beyond the arc while averaging 7.3pts, 3.7asts, and .8stls in 18.4 minutes in his rookie season with the Suns putting him in the top three of his fellow current and former 5’9″ or shorter players in regards to their rookie season numbers.
As a starter he posted 16.1pts, 8.5asts, and 1.2 stls.
After the all-star break he logged 13.2pts 7.2asts 1.1stls.
These are very respectful numbers. Yet there are two main knocks on him other than stature.
One is defense. Some say he is too small to play good defense on these larger point guards. However, being shorter is also a bonus as it puts the defender closer to the ball and usually means quicker action towards the ball and the ability to hound the opposing player down the court.
The other main concern after his debut year is his 3-point shooting.
This shouldn’t be too much of a worry, though. In his career at Kentucky he shot 37.1% from beyond the arc. In April with the Suns he showed similar accuracy, nailing exactly 37.0% from beyond 3-point range. If you look at his entire first year in Phoenix and just take out the cold spell he had in March, he shot a notable 35% from deep as a Sun.
Eric Bledsoe is Phoenix’s current starter at point and just had a career year setting personal high’s in scoring and assists per game. But the difference in age, especially when the franchise is presumably building specifically around the young core, is obvious. Eventually, someone else will need to become the team’s starting point guard for the future.
Next: Pacific Division Rankings: Point Guard Edition
Tyler Ulis may very well become the long-term answer.
Ulis is a 5’9″ point guard on a young team that is in too long of a playoff drought (seven years) and overall hasn’t tasted success since Steve Nash left the desert.
Those are very big shoes to fill. But if he stays determined, “I think he can.“