Suns preparing Tyler Ulis to float into the rotation

PHOENIX — Stop us if you’ve heard this before: the Suns have a logjam at point guard.

May we continue?

Eric Bledsoe, Brandon Knight and maybe even Leandro Barbosa and Archie Goodwin could play at point guard before rookie Tyler Ulis. But the Suns know well that health can derail such depth, and first-year head coach Earl Watson knows he may have to rely on the 5-foot-10 Kentucky product.

So the Suns are preparing Ulis, keeping him engaged and promoting confidence with trust in his abilities.

“We’re going to use him in a way they use backup quarterbacks,” Watson said at media day. “He has to be close to our coach, the next seat over. He has to read the play-calls of the other team, call them to the back of the bench and learn other teams’ offense, so when he gets the opportunity, he’s well-prepared mentally because basketball(-wise) he’s beyond prepared.

“We’re going to keep him engaged because we know that position is filled.”

Instead of the 37 minutes per game the second-round pick played at Kentucky during his sophomore season last year, Ulis will need to compact his efficiency into backup-point guard bursts.

“I wouldn’t say it’s hard but it’s something I have to get used to, find my rhythm, find ways to stay loose on the bench and come in and make the best of my opportunities,” Ulis said. “It’s just trying to find my rhythm, not try to speed myself up or slow
myself down.”

Watson has a unique perspective to what Ulis is facing.

He too came into the league having to fight for a career as a backup point guard, and from that he’s encouraged the UK product to be himself. That means scoring 30 points if he needs to, taking away airspace on defense and making the smart plays that made for a 3.5 assist-to-turnover ratio last year, good for fourth overall in his draft class.

“When Tyler came to us in Summer League and we had a couple of practices, he took the personality of, ‘I’m just going to run the offense.’ That’s the same mentality I took,” Watson said. “What I wish a coach told me was to be myself. The way I scored in college kind of left me. I said (to Ulis), ‘Listen, I don’t want you to be this pass first-second-third-fourth point guard. I want you to be the guy we fell in love with at Kentucky.’

“This kid is unique and he’s real. It’s not just a Summer League thing with Tyler Ulis,” Watson added. “It’s real.”

Fitting in the floater

There’s no doubt Ulis’s 5-foot-10 frame and 150 pounds on it were the reason he fell in the draft.

His speed and aggression that led to averaging 2.8 steals per game as a sophomore can make up for that on the defensive end to some degree, but oddly enough, the offensive side of the ball might leave more room for concern. In three preseason games, Ulis has had up-and-down moments.

Part of that is the learning curve of not playing the minutes Ulis saw in the Summer League, where he excelled getting his rhythm. Watson wants Ulis to play fast and aggressive off the bench — probably moreso than he did with extended playing time.

“He’s telling me I need to push the ball every possession,” Ulis said. “Don’t slow up because of anybody behind me or the offense isn’t running. Just make sure I push the ball, get in the lanes and make things happen.”

Vorped.com’s data shows that the transition game could be just as important for the under-sized Ulis whenever he gets his chance.

While he’s an above average jump-shooter, he also thrives at scoring just inside the free throw line (see chart).

The point guard shot a high volume of mid-range jumpers (45 percent) and hit 45 percent of them for Kentucky last year, per Hoop-Math.com. He also hit 34 percent from three and got to the foul stripe very fairly well.

But his patented move is the deep floater.

During practice Tuesday, Ulis closed his individual workout working on that shot coming out of transition pushes.

Because it’s not likely Ulis will be scoring at the rim by blowing by or shooting over NBA-caliber big men like he did against Utah’s third-string center Jeff Withey in his second preseason game, that floater will be key.

Ulis’ jumper will still be important and in a pre-draft interview with DraftExpress, he said he fell in love with it last year.

“I believe that the way they space the court, and the way some bigs play ball screens, they step back and give you that mid-range,” he said of the NBA style. “A lot of people say that the mid-range shot is the worst shot in the NBA. That’s something I love, and fell in love with this year, so I can’t wait to get there and see what it’s like.”

However, when it comes to efficiency in comparing the floater to his long two-point jumpers, it becomes clear which is superior (see chart).

His speed in transition is the most likely thing that will allow Ulis to score near the foul stripe (and it’s a positive sign his right-wing three-point shooting was highly-used and highly successful, as well).

The Suns will play to his strengths, whenever the point guard’s time comes.

Ulis credits Watson for giving him that freedom to be himself.

“It makes it a lot easier on me,” Ulis said. “Some guys like to box their players in, but you know, he’s given me the freedom to push the ball, get in the lanes, break off plays and just trust my instincts.”

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