Chicago Bulls’ 2019 NBA Draft prospects: Kyle Guy deserves attention

University of Virginia guard Kyle Guy had a fantastic junior season in Charlottesville. The Chicago Bulls should keep an eye on him during the draft.

Thanks to a miraculous NCAA Tournament run, a lot of hoops fans know the name “Kyle Guy.” The sharpshooting junior came up clutch time and time again, helping lead Virginia to their first-ever national title.

Now that Guy and Co. have reached the top of the college basketball mountain, it’s time to talk about his potential at the next level.

Kyle Guy doesn’t fit the typical NBA mold. He’s short for a two-guard (6’2″), he doesn’t weigh a lot (175 lbs.) and he doesn’t have eye-popping athleticism. But don’t sleep on him – he’s as skilled as they come. Shooting is far and away Guy’s best skill. During the 2018-19 season, he shot 42.6% from 3-point land on 7.4 attempts per game (that’s a lot).

One trap that hoops fans tend to fall into when scouting young players is thinking every shooter is just a shooter. While that’s true for some guys, it’s false for Kyle Guy. He’s way more than just a shooter. For starters, he’s an extremely underrated defender. During the NCAA Tournament, Virginia would often put Guy on the opposing team’s best shooter.* He’s also a solid on-ball defender and plays really good team defense.

*Sidenote: I love this strategy. Who knows how to bother a shooter more than a shooter?

Guy can also put the ball on the deck, pull up for mid-range jumpers and finish around the basket – something a lot of “shooters” can’t do.

What Kyle does best, though, is something a lot of shooters can do, but few do as well as Guy. He moves dangerously well without the ball.

One of the biggest concerns with college shooters is how they’ll get their shot off at the next level. It doesn’t matter how many shots you can make if you can’t get open. That’s why Guy uses a combination of herky-jerky, change-of-speed moves and an elite knowledge of off-ball screens to free himself up. He simply puts on a clinic for how to get open.

Also, as he showed time and time again, he only needs about an inch to get his shot off. That helps, I suppose.

One of the best sequences in recent NCAA Tournament memory was when Guy scored six points in eight seconds to propel Virginia past Auburn in the Final Four. The sequence started off with a heavily contested corner three to pull Virginia within one point. Then, after Virginia fouled Auburn and went down two, Guy got the ball in the opposite corner and got hip-checked while pulling up for the game-winner.

It was somewhat of a controversial call, but make no mistake about it – he was fouled. Guy proceeded to make three clutch free throws.

Ball game.

Older players often get overlooked in the draft. There’s an understandable draw to drafting 19-year-old freshmen with high ceilings, even if they may have low floors. Lately, though, there’s been some notable older rookies finding success in the NBA. Look no further than Los Angeles Clippers guard Landry Shamet.

Like Guy, Shamet spent three years in college (despite only playing two full seasons) and was a knockdown shooter. He was a late first-round pick (No. 26) in the 2018 NBA Draft and is now making a huge impact in the playoffs.

Remember the Clippers’ 31-point comeback victory over the Warriors a few days ago? Do you know who hit the biggest shot in that game? Landry Shamet.

That game proved that there is immense value in experienced college players – especially those that can shoot. They’re able to contribute more in a shorter amount of time than most 19-year-old rookies are.

Don’t get me wrong, there’s still a ton of value in taking one-and-done freshmen in the draft. But it’s time to start looking at experience as a positive, not a negative.

Kyle Guy likely won’t be an NBA All-Star, but I’d be shocked if he isn’t able to contribute right away.

Shooting is as important as ever in the NBA and Guy does it as good as anyone. Combine his elite shooting with his quality defense and serviceable finishing around the basket and you have a productive NBA player – one the Chicago Bulls could use.