Did Vanderbilt Basketball Star Tyler Tanner Help Himself At NBA Draft Combine?

If Tyler Tanner could draw up how his week at the NBA Combine would play out, he likely would’ve chosen just about any other way for it to be scripted. 

Tanner took a risk by participating in scrimmages two-consecutive days, something that a number of prospects in his range don’t opt to do. He wanted to show that he loves competing and that he could take advantage of an opportunity to be among the best players in the country. 

Instead, Tanner likely saw his stock drop on Thursday. 

In Thursday’s scrimmage, Tanner went for just two points on 1-for-7 shooting, was 0-for-4 from 3-point range and turned it over three times. The only saving graces were his five assists and midrange jumper. 

For a player like Tanner, who already has height and weight questions surrounding him while he sits in the midst of a guard-heavy class, a standout weekend would’ve been crucial. Instead, though, he’s likely left NBA executives second guessing themselves in regard to how much of his standout college film can translate. 

The truth is, Tanner did a number of translatable things and could still be a first rounder. He didn’t help to promote that reality, though. 

Tanner’s day-one scrimmage could be described better as an up-and-down one, but it was better than Thursday’s. He went for 13 points, but did it on 4-for-11 shooting from the field, 3-for-7 shooting from 3-point range and had five fouls. Tanner did have five assists, two steals and only turned it over twice in a game that’s historically chaotic and not overly well played. 

While Tanner had a mediocre day, he was guarding former Tennessee guard Ja’Kobi Gillespie–who went for 28 points on 10-for-17 shooting. Standout prospect Cam Carr stole the show while going for 30 points and having the dominant performance that Tanner hoped to have.