Scouting Report: Tyler Ennis, PG, Syracuse

If you hate point guards who occasionally get selfish for stretches, make careless turnovers, or have lapses on defense, than Syracuse product Tyler Ennis is probably the point guard for you. He's steady, he's always in control, and he's a great decision maker. He is, in a word, safe - but he's also talented. Where he falls on the point guard pecking order this year is a matter of debate, but his future as an NBA contributor is not, regardless of what his coach may have inexplicably claimed.

Background

Scouting Report

Strengths: His heady play was mentioned off the top, but the safe plays aren't necessarily the boring ones. Rather, Ennis has a quick and tight handle, does well to establish penetration to scramble the defense, and sees the floor better than most. He can shoot from mid-range consistently, too, which is a necessity from a point guard for some systems. Defensively, Ennis is more of a question mark coming from a zone-heavy system, but his awareness is high and he has quick hands with long arms, so he should transition nicely.

Weaknesses: Some thought Ennis may be a bit small, and while he's still on the lighter side, he measured plenty big enough for the point. He'll still need to extend his range to the 3-point line to really make the most of his pick-and-roll skills. The biggest knock is that he lacks the sizzle of some other point guards, which probably isn't a fair criticism.

Highlight Reel

What to Expect on Draft Day

While he's still technically competing with them, it seems safe to say that Ennis is a tier below Dante Exum and Marcus Smart. That makes Elfrid Payton his top competition later in the lottery, and teams in need of help at the one should favor Ennis over the handful of combo guards available. Payton may have the higher upside at both ends but his floor is also lower, so which player teams prefer is probably a matter of timeline and risk preference. As it is, Ennis' absolute upside is probably No. 8 but it's more likely he falls in the No. 12-20 range.