NBA Draft: Potential Sleepers Selected in the Second Round
#51 Tyler Harvey (Eastern Washington), PG/SG – Orlando Magic
David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports
It’s not clear whether Tyler Harvey is a point guard or a shooting guard, but what is clear is that he can dole out buckets from either position. He’s a knockdown three-point shooter who was able to produce gaudy numbers while frequently facing double teams and defenses tailored to stop him from scoring.
When good players leave bad college teams, they are often boosted by the new-found opportunity to no longer be the focal point of an offense (Klay Thompson post Washington State immediately comes to mind).
The Magic have young players entrenched at both of their guard spots, but no one in their current backcourt rotation has shown themselves to be the pure scorer that Harvey is. Harvey will have the opportunity to be an instant offense reserve, which could put him in line for a bright professional future if he proves worthy of the role.
Still playing attention? Those last two paragraphs are once again verbatim rewrites (except for player names and team names) of statements made about Olivier Hanlan. The spot on comparison even extended into the situation that both Hanlan and Harvey will be stepping into as pros.
In fairness, it may not be correct to call Harvey’s team bad. The Eagles won the Big Sky Conference and represented well in the NCAA Tournament against Georgetown (something Boston College likely would not have been able to do). However, the talent level at EWU is probably on par with what Hanlan had to work with at BC. Therefore, there is plenty to be impressed with in Harvey’s collegiate body of work.
The dynamic guard was able to lead his team to the Big Dance by putting together a season in which he led the entire nation in scoring. His 23.1 points per game came on 47% shooting, a remarkable number after accounting for the fact that Harvey launched 297 three-pointers last year (he made over 43% of them, which is also wildly impressive).
In Orlando, Harvey isn’t breaking into the starting lineup unless it’s due to injury. Elfrid Payton and Victor Oladipo will be starting in the Magic backcourt for the foreseeable future, but of the three prospects that have been fitted for this undersized “tweener” scoring guard role, Harvey is the best shooter from distance. He’s actually in the conversation of being one of the best shooters in this draft class.
Shooting will be the talent that gets Harvey on the floor. However, his experience as a shot creator accustomed to high usage rates will be a valuable asset to a backcourt rotation that features two starting guards that are not known for their offensive efficiency. Oladipo is an inconsistent shooter at his best and Payton often struggles to find the ocean with a beach ball, meaning that Harvey’s skill set is will be valued highly in Orlando.