2022 NBA Draft Breakdown - TyTy Washington Jr.
A totally fun offensive player. Will he follow the pattern of Kentucky players that erupt in the NBA?
There’s a thought process among league officials that Kentucky doesn’t get the best out of its guards at the collegiate level. Nobody expected Devin Booker to be what he is today. Tyrese Maxey went 21st overall. Tyler Herro went in the end of the lottery and became a Sixth Man of the Year. B.J. Boston went No. 51 overall. Immanuel Quickley and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander both went further in the draft than they should’ve in their respective classes. The list goes on. Will TyTy Washington Jr. be the next in that long line of draft misses? You be the judge.
Washington averaged 12.5 points per game in his lone season at Kentucky, along with 3.5 rebounds, 3.9 assists and 1.3 steals. The 6-foot-4 guard shot 45.1% from the field and 35% from downtown and had one of the best assist-to-turnover ratios in the class among NCAA D1 players. Washington is also equipped with a 6-foot-8 wingspan, a tremendous size for the point guard position in the modern NBA.
The 6-foot-4 Kentucky product is a terrific passer, as partially evidenced by his incredibly low turnover rate and his high assist percentage (22.7%, higher than his 22.5% usage percentage). Washington operates like a true quarterbacking point guard, hitting guys in the open floor, hitting go-ahead passes, hitting guys open in the halfcourt and being a great pocket passer. Washington got the benefit of playing with an elite big man in Oscar Tshiebwe and showcased a phenomenal ability to hit lob passes. You can watch Washington scan the floor and even when he makes a mistake, he pretty quickly cleans it up on the following possession.
As a scorer, Washington offers a ton of intrigue as somebody that can create his own shot at both the mid-range and three-point mark. Washington only made 36 threes last year but took 3.3 per game, a promising clip. The Kentucky product is capable of punishing players off the catch-and-shoot and though he was somewhat streaky in that regard, he’s going to be a three-point threat at the next level. Washington has great balance as a pull-up shooter and is comfortable with getting floaters up with either hand. When watching him as a defensive player, you don’t know if he’s going to pass or pull up in your face, which is a threateningly great skill to bring to the league.
Defensively, Washington gives a ton of effort and has great instincts, positioning himself for loose balls or rebounds. He’s one of the guys in this class that I’m comfortable putting in the top tier of competitors and is someone you’d want to be in your locker room.
Washington also has great body control despite lacking elite athleticism and that gives him some of that explosiveness his game is otherwise lacking. I have some questions if, due to that lack of athleticism, he’ll be able to consistently separate himself from quicker defenders in the league, but there’s enough evidence on the tape that he can bring that aspect of his game along in due time. However, Washington does need to take a higher clip of his shots at the rim because he almost exclusively lives in the mid-range to three-point line area. If he’s matched up against taller and more athletic players, how often is Washington going to settle for a poor mid-range floater? That’s something that can’t happen and you have to trust your lead guards to be able to finish at the rim.
The other downside is that Washington is old for frosh and he’ll shockingly be 21 just a couple of months into the season. Because of that, Washington’s lack of game around the rim and his other weaknesses have less time to come along.
Washington is a tough read in this class. If it wasn’t for the fact that Johnny Davis will almost surely be there when the New York Knicks are picking, Washington would seem like a perfect fit as a playmaker there. I also like his fit with the Washington Wizards next to Bradley Beal. However, I’ve seen Washington go as high as 10 and as low as into the 20s as far as his first-round range goes, so there’s no telling where he ultimately ends up. The Minnesota Timberwolves are a sneaky pick as they look for a potential replacement for D’Angelo Russell.
I ultimately think Washington is being a bit underrated throughout this process and there’s a likelier chance than not that he becomes a serviceable lead guard at the very least at the next level.