Where will former Buffalo Bey
roam in the NBA?
On Wednesday evening, the first round of the 2020 NBA Draft will officially begin. This year, it will feature one of the University of Colorado’s very own basketball stars, Tyler Bey, as he looks to take the next step in his career by becoming a professional.
For the last three years, Bey was a feature of the University of Colorado men’s basketball team, and for the last two years, a feature of the conference as well, being named to the First Team All-PAC 12 after the 2018-19 season and to the Second Team All PAC-12 after the 2019-20 season. In March of 2020, Bey declared for the draft, deciding to forgo what would be his senior season at CU. On Wednesday, Bey will see where his journey at the next level begins.
A Message to Buff Nation:
First I’d like to thank God for putting me in this position and all the blessings. Thank you University of Colorado, the coaching staff, and my family for all the support. A big thank you to my teammates for always being there for me, I’ll never forget the blood, sweat and tears we shared. Without you guys I wouldn’t be where I’m at today. Coach Boyle, thank you for believing in me and giving me the opportunity. Ever since I picked up a basketball, it was a dream to play in the NBA. That being said, after talking with my coaches and parents, I’ve decided I will be declaring for the 2020 NBA Draft. I appreciate all the support! Skobuffs! -Tyler Bey
Tyler Bey, via Instagram (@tbey1)
At Colorado, the 6 foot-7 inch, 215 pound forward from Las Vegas, Nevada started 87 of his 99 total games played, only missing one start outside of his freshman year. Throughout his college career, Bey averaged 11.2 points, 8.1 rebounds and 0.9 assists per game, but if you exclude his freshman year, those numbers jump to 13.7 points, 9.5 rebounds and one assist per game. Even these numbers, however, don’t quite do Bey the justice his play deserves. This is simply because Bey’s best attributes are not necessarily on offense, but rather are more apparent on the defensive end.
In his junior season, Bey’s last as a Buff, he averaged 1.5 steals per game and 1.2 blocks per game. He also recorded a Defensive Box Plus/Minus (which measures a player’s contribution on the defensive end of the floor when they are on the court) of +5, which was good enough to tie for eighth-best in the country. While Bey is by no means a poor offensive player, whichever NBA team decides to spend a draft pick on Bey will likely do so for his defensive prowess. Every NBA team is looking for a long, athletic player who can guard the star forwards around the league like Lebron James, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Kawhi Leonard, etc. With a year or two of NBA experience under his belt, Bey’s projected ceiling puts him to be that guy who can defensively match up with just about anyone.
The main place Bey will need to improve his game is his outside shooting. Bey was never a volume shooter at Colorado; in his freshman year Bey only attempted six three-point shots, making none of them. The following year, Bey’s outside shooting ability inched forward as he drained five out of 22 three-point shots, but was still only 22.7% from behind the arc.. Finally, in the 2019-20 season, Bey dramatically improved his three-point shooting percentage to 41.9%. However, this was only on 31 shots, and he will need to demonstrate that he can shoot at that percentage consistently over the course of a full season if Bey wants to become one of the coveted “3 and D” players around the league. If he can continue to shoot that well from three-point range in the NBA, Bey will, if he makes improvements to his all-around game, have an opportunity to have a successful career.
So now that a picture has been painted of what type of player Tyler Bey is, the question remains: where will he go?
Right now, according to NBA Draft Room, Bey is listed as the sixth best small forward available in the draft. He is generally viewed by scouts as a great defensive and rebounding wing who will need to improve his outside shooting to reach his full potential. He is projected to be selected either late in the first round or early on in the second.
Every mock draft is different, no one can claim to know where each player will really go, and no single mock draft will be right about everything. At the end of the day, mock drafts are really just glorified estimations. That being said, by consulting lots of mock drafts, there is a clearer sense of what teams will most likely be interested in selecting Bey.
Both DraftSite and NBA.com staff writers are projecting Bey to go to the Oklahoma City Thunder with the 25th pick in the draft, which would make him a first-round selection. On the other side of the coin, the Rookie Wire at USA Today is projecting Bey to go as low as pick 53, perhaps not coincidentally, also to Oklahoma City. However, the USA Today’s mock draft may be considered an outlier, as the lowest any other site has him going is 39th overall to the New Orleans Pelicans.
The most common destinations for Bey to be selected by are the Thunder and the New York Knicks. Oklahoma City owns picks 25 and 53 and the Knicks own the eighth overall pick, along with the 23rd pick after a trade with the Utah Jazz. Other potential landing spots for Bey include (but certainly are not limited to) the Toronto Raptors via pick 29, the Charlotte Hornets via pick 32 and the Minnesota Timberwolves via pick 33. Excluding the outlier from the USA Today, Bey’s average projection is the 31st pick, which is owned by the Golden State Warriors.
Of the teams listed above, perhaps the Thunder and Timberwolves make the most sense for Bey. Here’s why:
The case for the Oklahoma City Thunder: The Thunder rolled with a three-guard lineup often last season and did so effectively. That lineup relied heavily on winning on the offensive end. Bey could come in to replace a guard for stretches when defense becomes a priority. Bey projects to play a similar role that Andre Roberson used to play, with Roberson likely leaving in free agency, the Thunder may choose to select Bey to fill his spot.
The case for the Minnesota Timberwolves: The D’Angelo Russell and Karl Anthony-Towns tandem will undoubtedly be successful on the offensive end. But looking at the roster as a whole, Towns is really the only plus defender. The Timberwolves need a better defensive wing than the players they have now. Bey, given a year or two, could fill that role quite nicely, especially if he continues to develop his three-point shooting.
On Wednesday evening, Colorado fans will see who decides to draft Tyler Bey, and perhaps be able to get a glimpse into his future in the NBA. The draft will take place virtually, with the picks being announced from ESPN’s headquarters in Bristol, Conn. Coverage begins at 5pm Mountain Time and will be televised on ESPN.
