One of the SEC’s best freshmen, earning All-SEC and All-Freshman honors, TyTy Washington continued the tradition of one & done Kentucky guards. On the year, Washington averaged 12.5 PPG, 3.5 RPG, 4 APG, 1.3 SPG, and 1.6 TOPG on shooting splits of 45/35/75. Below is his full scouting report:
Name: TyTy Washington
Height/Weight: 6’4/196
Wingspan/ standing reach: 6’8/8’3 ½
Hand size: 9 ¼
Position: PG
Pre-Draft team: Kentucky
Tools: Playmaking/ P&R, shooting, floater
Pros:
- Sufficient playmaker
- Projectable shooter with good spot up ability
- Above average first step
- Reliable floater
- Excellent deceleration ability
- Good length
- Finds cutters and open teammates under the basket with ease
- Comfortable with both hands
- Quick to go from crossover into a jumper
- Generally mistake-free as a ball-handler
- Good lateral quickness to stay 1-on-1 on drives
- Good at forcing turnovers and playing the passing lanes
Cons:
- Needs to get stronger and fill out frame
- Settles for floaters too much
- Needs to get more creative as a scorer
- Lacks full burst in attacking the rim
- Strictly a below the rim finisher
- Must learn to use pump fakes more
- Can get burned by quick first steps
- Doesn’t get to the line much
Summary:
TyTy Washington is a mistake-free P&R playmaking guard with the ability to score from 3 that needs to improve as a scorer as he matures physically.
Defensively, Washington has quick feet, but can get burned by quick first steps, particularly when playing tight above the 3 point line. His feel for the game will carry him on this end, being adequate as a P&R defender with quick feet. As long as he is surrounded by a decently capable interior defense, his minimal defensive mistakes should have only minor effects on team defense. It’s rare to see Washington gamble unnecessarily and in turn be out of sorts defensively, so his defensive floor is overall high.
Washington’s offensive production is massively different before and after his ankle injury against Auburn in January. His 3 point shot saw a 10+% difference in success, and his burst went from average to significantly lacking in getting to the rim and mid-range.
Washington is likely going to score a majority of his points from jump shots and floaters. While it is normal for Kentucky players to be somewhat hidden in some areas of their skillset, Washington’s jump shooting will carry a large load of his offense. With a quick jump shot from top to bottom, Washington can play off-ball as a scorer and spot-up shooter. On top of that, he can attack closeouts off of pump fakes, which is when he uses his floater best.
However, Washington’s finishing ability is weak, and limited to almost exclusively floaters. One statistical example of Washington’s finishing weaknesses is that he only took seven shots off of cuts to the basket, which is extremely low. While this could be something Kentucky is hiding, Washington frequently settled for a floater instead of trying to draw contact at the rim or challenging the rim protector. In order to improve his scoring volume, Washington must become more aggressive as a finisher and embrace contact to draw fouls, setting him up for success at the free throw line.
Washington is excellent at finding teammates on the move and hitting floaters before the big man can get to a contest on the drive. However, Washington is overly reliant on floaters, passing up layups near or against defenders at the rim, which will need to improve at the next level.
TyTy Washington projects to be a safe guard that can hold his own on both ends. Without standout athleticism and dynamic finishing ability, Washington’s ceiling is limited. However, due to his pick & roll prowess and quickness as a shooter, he should be able to hold his own in the NBA as a rotation guard.
Best Fits:
- New York Knicks (11)
- Houston Rockets (17)
- Minnesota Timberwolves (19)
- Miami Heat (27)
Similar to: Immanuel Quickley, Brad Wanamaker, George Hill
Projected draft range: 11-24
Expected role: Fringe starter, multiple year quality guard that plays ~23 MPG
Unplayable if: Finishing ability never develops, and his scoring becomes predictable and low volume in the NBA.
Exceeds expectations if: First half of the season prior to injury was real, and his finishing grows as his body matures in the NBA.
Videos:
Shot Chart:
