Tyler Ulis

Mainstreet

Cruisin' Mainstreet
Supporting Member
Joined
Oct 19, 2003
Posts
112,844
Reaction score
52,241
I guess I'll have to look it up. I didn't think we'd have his Bird Rights unless we gave him a 3 year deal.

If the Suns picked up his option in the third year would that give them his Bird Rights?

Here is where I read it.

Bender and Chriss are slotted into four-year contracts with two guaranteed years and two team option years. Ulis, as a second-round pick, is not guaranteed that, but the Suns will give Ulis the equivalent of a late first-round pick’s contract, which would start at about $1 million and have the same two guaranteed years with two team option years.

From a Paul Coro article at azcentral dated 7-4-16.

http://www.azcentral.com/story/spor.../?hootPostID=b8aece84ab476319b7ebd98bfb254622
 

leclerc

The smooth operator
Joined
Jun 28, 2008
Posts
2,274
Reaction score
860
Location
Norway
Still can't believe how good a draft this was. Both our top (realistic) options and a top talent PG at #34?! Just a week and change until we can watch them in action. Hopefully we won't be disappointed!
 

AzStevenCal

ASFN IDOL
Supporting Member
Joined
Apr 2, 2004
Posts
35,945
Reaction score
14,697
Still can't believe how good a draft this was. Both our top (realistic) options and a top talent PG at #34?! Just a week and change until we can watch them in action. Hopefully we won't be disappointed!

It depends on how high your hopes are. We drafted arguably the 2 biggest boom or bust projects in this class. So any judgement on them probably won't have merit for at least a few seasons. Maybe they'll surprise us earlier but I think it's better to temper expectations.
 
OP
OP
JCSunsfan

JCSunsfan

ASFN Icon
Joined
Oct 24, 2002
Posts
21,754
Reaction score
6,139
We need to keep this thread going. So far, Tyler Ulis has shown no signs of being slowed by the NBA game. He produced at KY, he is producing better than expected in summer league.

1. His handle is excellent.
2. His defense is very good, disruptive.
3. Leadership is excellent.
4. Care of the ball is excellent, only two turnovers.
5. Passing is very, very good. Not Ben Simmons good, but close.
6. His shooting is marginal so far.

Man, oh, man. What have we got here?
 

Ronin

…..
Super Moderator
Moderator
Joined
Oct 12, 2006
Posts
133,371
Reaction score
52,962
Location
Las Cruces, New Mexico
@thorsenchair @Hefner717 Each was really good.
Dunn in 2 gms: 24.0 ppg/3.0apg/2.0spg/3.0 tpg
Ulis in 3 gms: 12.3 ppg/6.3 apg/4.7 spg/0.7 tpg
Via Paul Coro


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
 

sunsfan88

ASFN Icon
BANNED BY MODERATORS
Joined
Feb 1, 2010
Posts
11,660
Reaction score
844
I don't think it's an exaggeration to say that he's the best pure PG we've had since Steve Nash.

I'm excited to see him and Warren play together because Warren is our best move without the basketball player and Ulis seems to have a knack for finding cutters so they should be able to develop beautiful chemistry there.

I hope Ulis can work on his 3pt shot, at his height he will have to be reliable from that range (aka IT) to work long term in the NBA.
 

Arizona's Finest

Your My Favorite Mistake
Joined
Jun 11, 2005
Posts
9,709
Reaction score
1
Im enamored with this pick. Im enamored with this draft. But Ulis is what makes it special imo.

He has incredible handle (ball is on a string and bounces so low to ground its impossible to steal),
he is one of the better small man defenders I have seen (at least in Summer league)
he is incredibly smart and patient
great vision and passing
can score when called upon
he is Bookers guy, and when you are the franchises guy thats a good thing.

I wont go as far as to say All Star but in next 4 years he will play important minutes on a winning team. Just hope its the Suns.

Ive already started tweeting out crazy things like 2018 Suns Champions

PG Ulis
SG Booker
SF Josh Jackson
PF Chriss
C Bender

oh man im getting excited again. Havent been this into Suns prospects since 2010.
 

slinslin

Welcome to Amareca
Joined
Jun 28, 2002
Posts
16,855
Reaction score
562
Location
Hannover - Germany
We need to keep this thread going. So far, Tyler Ulis has shown no signs of being slowed by the NBA game. He produced at KY, he is producing better than expected in summer league.

1. His handle is excellent.
2. His defense is very good, disruptive.
3. Leadership is excellent.
4. Care of the ball is excellent, only two turnovers.
5. Passing is very, very good. Not Ben Simmons good, but close.
6. His shooting is marginal so far.

Man, oh, man. What have we got here?

A really good backup PG for years to come.
 

AzStevenCal

ASFN IDOL
Supporting Member
Joined
Apr 2, 2004
Posts
35,945
Reaction score
14,697
Wow, we're so close... I only disagree with one word you said!

Yeah, if his body holds up, he's a quality starter in the NBA. It will be interesting next game to see how he matches up with Mudiay, an oversized point guard that I believe has been playing very well in summer league.
 
OP
OP
JCSunsfan

JCSunsfan

ASFN Icon
Joined
Oct 24, 2002
Posts
21,754
Reaction score
6,139
I cannot wait to see Ulis and TJ on the court together. TJ has never had a Suns pg who would consistently get him the ball. He moves very well without the ball and has a knack for getting open. He also converts mid-range at a very high level and gets the ball off quickly. The combo of TU, TJ, and Book could be very intriguing.
 
OP
OP
JCSunsfan

JCSunsfan

ASFN Icon
Joined
Oct 24, 2002
Posts
21,754
Reaction score
6,139
Love what he's shown but I'm no where near predicting he'll be a quality starter in the NBA yet.

Its true. We all have to hold back some. But when was the last time you remember that a 34th pick becomes the clear alpha on a summer league team. NBA.com's first line was "Tyler Ulis and the Phoenix Suns".

Its not like he is having a couple of good games. He is clearly the leader of that team. It is no guarantee of future things, but there are certainly no causes for concern either.
 

AzStevenCal

ASFN IDOL
Supporting Member
Joined
Apr 2, 2004
Posts
35,945
Reaction score
14,697
I don't see a reason to hold back on Ulis. Summer League really doesn't tell us much but you could see in college that Ulis could run an offense. My question was twofold, how would he do against the speed in the NBA and how will he hold up physically. Holding up physically is still a concern but he's facing NBA speed right now and doing quite well. This guy is a quality point guard and will be a starter, I feel pretty confident about that.

I have high hopes for Chriss but it's just that - hopes. He's exactly what I expected. Huge potential, huge risk. And I feel pretty good about Bender but it all falls apart if his shot doesn't develop as predicted. But Ulis? He's a pretty safe bet IMO.
 
OP
OP
JCSunsfan

JCSunsfan

ASFN Icon
Joined
Oct 24, 2002
Posts
21,754
Reaction score
6,139
I don't see a reason to hold back on Ulis. Summer League really doesn't tell us much but you could see in college that Ulis could run an offense. My question was twofold, how would he do against the speed in the NBA and how will he hold up physically. Holding up physically is still a concern but he's facing NBA speed right now and doing quite well. This guy is a quality point guard and will be a starter, I feel pretty confident about that.

I have high hopes for Chriss but it's just that - hopes. He's exactly what I expected. Huge potential, huge risk. And I feel pretty good about Bender but it all falls apart if his shot doesn't develop as predicted. But Ulis? He's a pretty safe bet IMO.

I am not that worried about how he holds up physically--if you mean by that avoiding injuries. I am more concerned about big players than little ones on that score. More leverage and weight are more of a concern on knees ankes and feet. If you mean, will he get knocked around on the floor, well, that does not seem to be an issue either. He just becomes an absolute pest, flitting in and out of traffic. Years ago, we would have been concerned about him getting posted up, but no one, especially pg's even does that any more. Even if they did, zone defenses are legal now. A modified zone would solve that problem immediately.

If I had to bet, I would say he eventually will be a starter. His midrange game is decent, and his driving game is creative. I would think he needs to improve his three point shooting some, not alot. But once that happens, I really don't see any weakness in his game, and that is a rare, rare thing. Most point guards have significant weaknesses. Nash was a horrible defender, Rondo can't shoot, Bledsoe is a marginal distributor, Knight is a turnover machine, Goran was a marginal shooter and not a very good defender, etc.
 

chickenhead

Registered User
Joined
Jul 7, 2004
Posts
3,109
Reaction score
77
FWIW on The Ringer summer league podcast they were describing Ulis as the most dominant guy on the court they saw. Ball-on-a-string repeated, etc. Summer league is not the NBA, but it's cool that so many are genuinely excited to see how he pans out.
 
OP
OP
JCSunsfan

JCSunsfan

ASFN Icon
Joined
Oct 24, 2002
Posts
21,754
Reaction score
6,139
Ulis has certainly been exciting. Bender and Chriss have both been disappointing to me in summer league. Not writing them off or anything. I just had higher hopes for summer league.

For Bender, I was encouraged by his defense. His shooting has been atrocious. The form is there, but he just looks totally overwhelmed by the moment. The missed free throws were the perfect demonstration.

Chriss has moment of athleticism but demonstrated less of a skill set than I had hoped. He is on a poor mans Gerald Green level. Lots of developing to do. Hopefully he will have the body control to take advantage of all that athleticism. The big disappointment was missing all these games.

I knew they would both be projects. They are just bigger projects than I was hoping, and even a little more than I was expecting
 
Last edited:

CardsSunsDbacks

Not So Skeptical
Joined
Aug 26, 2012
Posts
9,907
Reaction score
6,120
Ulis has certainly been exciting. Bender and Chriss have both been disappointing to me in summer league. Not writing them off or anything. I just had higher hopes for summer league.

For Bender, I was encouraged by his defense. His shooting has been atrocious. The form is there, but he just looks totally overwhelmed by the moment. The missed free throws were the perfect demonstration.

Chriss has moment of athleticism but demonstrated less of a skill set than I had hoped. He is on a poor mans Gerald Green level. Lots of developing to do. Hopefully he will have the body control to take advantage of all that athleticism. The big disappointment was missing all these games.

I knew they would both be projects. They are just bigger projects than I was hoping, and even a little more than I was expecting
You are one of the few that had high expectations for Bender and Chriss in SL. Also I wouldn't say Bender seems overwhelmed by the moment (outside of those missed free throws), but he does look exhausted out there. The energy that he was playing with in the first few games just isn't quite there anymore. He is still playing some solid defense, but he isn't making as many hustle plays in the last couple games. The ankle injury may have attributed to that as well.
 

sunsfan88

ASFN Icon
BANNED BY MODERATORS
Joined
Feb 1, 2010
Posts
11,660
Reaction score
844
Bender looks a lot like Dragic did when he first came to the league...lost and scared. Those were the Goran Tragic days.

It's gonna take some time. His shooting ability has been overrated however, he needs to develop a jumper.
 

GatorAZ

feed hopkins
Joined
Oct 17, 2011
Posts
24,363
Reaction score
16,584
Location
The Giant Toaster
Ulis has to work so damn hard to get his shot off. That is why I think he'll struggle when the real games start. That said he's blown away all expectation and I think he'll be a quality backup for years which for a 2nd round pick is thievery.
 

Joe Mama

Moderator
Moderator
Supporting Member
Joined
May 14, 2002
Posts
9,433
Reaction score
758
Location
Gilbert, AZ
Ulis looked simply exhausted today. Tyrus Jones must have blown by him five or six times for easy layups going to his right. It wasn't just that Ulis's shot wasn't falling. He didn't look sharp at all. I imagine three straight games of 110% effort for a full 30+ minutes is a little difficult to sustain.

Alvin Williams seems like a good guy, but we'd be better off if he was replaced by somebody with actual NBA talent.

I would definitely invite Troy Williams to camp even though he looked really rough shooting that 3 today.

Joe
 

Mainstreet

Cruisin' Mainstreet
Supporting Member
Joined
Oct 19, 2003
Posts
112,844
Reaction score
52,241
Ulis looked simply exhausted today. Tyrus Jones must have blown by him five or six times for easy layups going to his right. It wasn't just that Ulis's shot wasn't falling. He didn't look sharp at all. I imagine three straight games of 110% effort for a full 30+ minutes is a little difficult to sustain.

Alvin Williams seems like a good guy, but we'd be better off if he was replaced by somebody with actual NBA talent.

I would definitely invite Troy Williams to camp even though he looked really rough shooting that 3 today.

Joe

We agree, Ulis looked exhausted. There was one play that stood out for me. He lost the ball going to the floor and he didn't seem to have the energy to get up and go after it. This is not how Ulis plays. That said it all for me.
 
OP
OP
JCSunsfan

JCSunsfan

ASFN Icon
Joined
Oct 24, 2002
Posts
21,754
Reaction score
6,139
I don't think it was just playing time that made him tired. He was missing Booker, Chriss, Bender, and felt it was all on him to win this game. He is used to playing with a lot of talent around him and making everyone around him better. Its sort of hard when that is your game but you don't have much to work with.

Ulis has been a wonderful surprise. We have no guarantees about his game from here on, but so far so good.
 
Top