29. San Antonio Spurs – Tyler Ulis (Kentucky)
The San Antonio Spurs are continuing to grow older, and Tyler Ulis proves to be the perfect prodigy to 34-year-old point guard Tony Parker. Ulis is a proven playmaker and a guard that can score in a variety of ways.
Ulis, 20, is a versatile weapon on offense. His freshman season proved that he can score in a variety of ways, including hitting 42.9 percent of three-pointers. As a sop re he stepped up as a floor general and had a 3.5:1 assist-to-turnover ratio.
His outside shooting suffered with more responsibility during his sop re season, but Ulis proved that he is capable of getting to the rim with his crafty ball-handling skills and quickness. He shot 43.4 percent from the field in his sop re season and averaged 17.3 points per game.
Ulis is only 5-foot-10, which is a cause for concern on the defensive end of the court. He is undersized and will be physically overpowered against nearly every point guard in the NBA. His quickness will keep players in front of him, but his lack of size and physicality is alarming.
Nonetheless, the Spurs have a playmaker to develop and learn from a great point guard in Parker. Ulis’ NBA future will be defined by how he holds up defensively, but there is no doubt that the SEC Player of the Year can handle the offensive end.