SU won’t have Tyler Lydon next season as he prepares for the NBA Draft. Speaking of, the Orlando Magic have taken interest in the Forward early on.
This makes the second team in the NBA that has taken special interest in former Syracuse star, Tyler Lydon. The first was the Charlotte Hornets who highlighted Lydon on social media.
ICYMI, you can check out that story here: Charlotte Hornets are Taking a Closer Look at Tyler Lydon.
The next team that has taken serious interest in Lydon is the Orlando Magic. They hold the sixth overall pick and the 25th overall pick (Serge Ibaka trade) in the first round.
Early Friday Morning, Ben Sigel of NunesMagician.com reported that Tyler Lydon worked out with the Orlando Magic on Monday.
Tyler Lydon worked out for the Magic yesterday.
— Syracuse Basketball (@cusesigel) June 2, 2017
At first glance, you may be baffled to see that the Orlando Magic are interested in adding more big men to a lineup that already includes: Nikola Vučević, Aaron Gordon, and Bismack Biyombo.
However, what many fail to realize is just how versatile Tyler Lydon truly is. Orlando may have realized that Tyler Lydon can serve as a Small Forward for them.
Evaluating the fit for Orlando:
The Orlando Magic have a 6-foot-3 Point Guard in Elfrid Payton, a 6-foot-7 Shooting Guard in
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Evan Fournier, and are perhaps looking to build a team that consists of tall yet athletic players. The Magic experimented with Aaron Gordon at the Small Forward position last year, but might be looking to keep him at Power Forward. Although the club consists of Small Forwards in Terrence Ross and Mario Hezonja, the two haven’t lived up to the hype since entering the league.
Lydon’s potential gives Orlando an opportunity to develop one of the more skilled two-way big men in this draft, and even help develop him into a Small Forward. Lydon shot just under 40% from long range last year, and constantly disproved the doubters, proving that he can score in pretty much every way possible.
Also, in a situation where Lydon’s role with the team is to be a stretch-four off the bench, he can surely strive in that situation as well. Orlando’s big men didn’t live up to the hype in terms of shooting the ball from the outside last season, especially Vucevic. Lydon’s ability to serve as a perimeter threat as a big man can certainly also benefit Orlando.
Next: Roundtable: Is the Media Hurting Young Athletes, Tyler Lydon’s Future?
Teams like Orlando will potentially draft Tyler Lydon because of his scoring ability, and unusual athletic abilities for his height. What they don’t know is that he is more than capable of gaining some weight during the offseason, and be ready to take on NBA big men in the paint during the 2017-18 season.
It’ll be exciting to see where Lydon lands, because his work ethic will allow him to meet his full potential.