Tyler Cook and the NBA Draft

[hawkeyeguy69]

You have to admit TC's defense is improved quite a bit. His shot is better as well, especially at the free throw line. I think he will get increasing better....with another year on the Hawkeye roster, and a degree in his hand. IMHO

Will that be enough for the NBA? If he makes another leap like he did this last year, I believe it will.... Continue to study the game. Work on his outside shot. Train hard. And learn to play within himself when he gets uber excited.

Cook has not been over 1.0 defensive win shares for a season yet. He was 0.7 last year and so far this year 0.8.

Evans was 2.7 and 2.4 in his 2 years. No comparing the two defensively. Evans was good while Cook is bad.

Doug Thomas was more athletic than Evans or Cook. That alone doesn't make him a better player. Bottom line, Evans had a skill set that set him up for the NBA. He was a solid defender and elite offensive rebounder. Cook relies on dunks and post offense. That won't work in the NBA where every team has 7 footers who can shoot like Karl Anthony Towns.

 

[CP84]

You have to admit TC's defense is improved quite a bit. His shot is better as well. I think he will get increasing better....with another year on the Hawkeye roster, and a degree in his hand. IMHO

Will that be enough for the NBA? If he makes another leap like he did this last year, I believe it will.

*Edited, for accuracy.

His defense went from horrendous to marginal.

I don't see the improvement shooting that you reference. Unless he's within 4 feet of the basket he's usually laying bricks.

The one area I've seen substantial improvement is his ball handling but he still has turnover problems at 3/game. He at least can attack the paint and draw fouls more frequently.

 

[Legend12]

His free throw percentage has gotten worse every year. He was 70% as a freshman and now below 60%. If your shot has improved substantially, that's were you'd expect to see the benefit.

Wut?

 

[CP84]

Wut?

Touche!

 

[hawkeyeguy69]

TC shot almost 80% from the FT stripe the last 3 games. He is over 70% for the season. Far greater than his previous 2 years... He is shooting over 60% from the field. His best yet. I think he has the potential to improve. And improve quite a bit. I'm going to put it passed him. He is determined

 

[IAHawk2011]

Cook has not been over 1.0 defensive win shares for a season yet. He was 0.7 last year and so far this year 0.8.

Evans was 2.7 and 2.4 in his 2 years. No comparing the two defensively. Evans was good while Cook is bad.

Doug Thomas was more athletic than Evans or Cook. That alone doesn't make him a better player. Bottom line, Evans had a skill set that set him up for the NBA. He was a solid defender and elite offensive rebounder. Cook relies on dunks and post offense. That won't work in the NBA where every team has 7 footers who can shoot like Karl Anthony Towns.

Nice of you to compare Evans’ entire season to half of Cook’s JR season. Very fair comparison there. Cook is not a bad defender. He may have been his first two seasons, but he has been much better on that end of the floor this season. Cook has shown the ability to guard the 2-5 positions; that type of defensive versatility is extremely valuable in today’s NBA.

Also, LOL at Doug Thomas being more athletic than Tyler Cook.

 

[BrunoMars420]

Nice of you to compare Evans’ entire season to half of Cook’s JR season. Very fair comparison there. Cook is not a bad defender. He may have been his first two seasons, but he has been much better on that end of the floor this season. Cook has shown the ability to guard the 2-5 positions; that type of defensive versatility is extremely valuable in today’s NBA.

Also, LOL at Doug Thomas being more athletic than Tyler Cook.

Ummm Thunder Doug was amazingly athletic

 

[Fieldhouseman]

No one on the team right now has any chance of going to the NBA next year, not even Cook . Europe maybe ...

1) Needs to establish a 10-15 foot jump shot... has not shown this skill set yet... or mastered it.

2) Ability to pass the ball and not turn them ball over ..not a good passer at this point and too many unforced TO

Positives :

Driving to basket,athleticism , quickness,rebounding, attitude .

 

[CP84]

Nice of you to compare Evans’ entire season to half of Cook’s JR season. Very fair comparison there. Cook is not a bad defender. He may have been his first two seasons, but he has been much better on that end of the floor this season. Cook has shown the ability to guard the 2-5 positions; that type of defensive versatility is extremely valuable in today’s NBA.

Also, LOL at Doug Thomas being more athletic than Tyler Cook.

Doug Thomas less athletic, huh? The guy had an amazing vertical and once rang a bell 13 feet off the ground on top of the backboard. He's regarded as one of the most athletic dunkers in Iowa history.

 

[BrunoMars420]

Nice of you to compare Evans’ entire season to half of Cook’s JR season. Very fair comparison there. Cook is not a bad defender. He may have been his first two seasons, but he has been much better on that end of the floor this season. Cook has shown the ability to guard the 2-5 positions; that type of defensive versatility is extremely valuable in today’s NBA.

Also, LOL at Doug Thomas being more athletic than Tyler Cook.

Here is a refresher (also how great does carver look in that Hawks video?)

 

[BrunoMars420]

Doug Thomas less athletic, huh? The guy had an amazing vertical and once rang a bell 13 feet off the ground on top of the backboard. He's regarded as one of the most athletic dunkers in Iowa history.

CP everything you have said has been true and that guy probably didn’t even watch thunder Doug when he was at Iowa. If he did he would understand why you said that

 

[hawkeyeguy69]

Ummm Thunder Doug was amazingly athletic

Yes he was. More than Evans or Cook is debatable... But he wasn't a better player in college. That is not debatable... He played a lot of pro ball overseas. Not sure how he developed. But he was obviously good enough that he probably made a few mil... They get paid very well overseas.

Thomas played on a very good team. Wish we would throw alley oops to TC like we did back then! Or even like we did to Aaron White. Got to get JBo & Connor working on that.

 

[CP84]

But he wasn't a better player in college. That is not debatable...

Never was debated. The point was athleticism alone doesn't make an NBA player.

In regard to athleticism I would rank:
1. Thomas
2. Cook
3. Evans

And yet Evans will probably be the most effective of the three at the professional level because of his skill set.

 

[onionman1]

Guarding multiple positions and being able to switch NBA ball screens as a small-ball center or forward is Cook’s key to an NBA career. Not developing a jumper, which simply isn’t ever going to be a plus NBA skill.

He’s going to have to be a good, positionless defender, that can have success on offense attacking slower players off the dribble as a fourth or fifth scoring option and can have succes as garbage man.

The number one skill needed by a player of Cook’s size is a jump shot. If you can’t consistently shoot from the outside in the NBA, forget it. He won’t be drafted without it. May get a free-agent deal after time as an athlete, but the object of the game is to score. He’s not ready.

 

[hawkeyeguy69]

Never was debated. The point was athleticism alone doesn't make an NBA player.

In regard to athleticism I would rank:
1. Thomas
2. Cook
3. Evans

And yet Evans will probably be the most effective of the three at the professional level because of his skill set.

Ok. No debate... But I would put Cook on the same level of athleticism as Thomas. It isn't all about jumping.

As for playing ball as a pro, Reggie wins that debate...er argument. Even if Cook does make it to the NBA. I very much doubt he will surge that high. Evans had one of the best eyes for the ball. He knew where it is going as soon as it is shot.
I cannot see Cook playing 10+ years in the NBA. But stranger things have happened...

 

[Legend12]

Yes he was. More than Evans or Cook is debatable... But he wasn't a better player in college. That is not debatable... He played a lot of pro ball overseas. Not sure how he developed. But he was obviously good enough that he probably made a few mil... They get paid very well overseas.

Thomas played on a very good team. Wish we would throw alley oops to TC like we did back then! Or even like we did to Aaron White. Got to get JBo & Connor working on that.

Thomas didn't make near that overseas. He had trouble landing good contracts because he had a habit of leaving teams after a few games or in the middle of the season. He rarely played for the same team for an entire season.

 

[Ladell-hawk]

I'm a believer you are either a good shooter or you're not. Can you improve some, sure but you will probably never be a consistent knock down shooter. Not putting TC down but I am almost certain he will never be a very good outside shooter. He needs to play around the hoop, defend and rebound and do his scoring close up which he is very good at.

With the skills TC has, I do think there is a spot in the NBA for him, either next year or the year after. Not everybody in the NBA is a great shooter.

 

[goodbyebobby]

Thomas didn't make near that overseas. He had trouble landing good contracts because he had a habit of leaving teams after a few games or in the middle of the season. He rarely played for the same team for an entire season.

Why did he leave teams so frequently?

 

[IAHawk2011]

CP everything you have said has been true and that guy probably didn’t even watch thunder Doug when he was at Iowa. If he did he would understand why you said that

There is more to athleticism than being able to jump high. Cook is quicker, has better lateral quickness and agility, etc.

 

[SDHawkDoc]

Doug Thomas could jump out of the freakin' gym. He was plenty athletic. But if you're talking about athleticism AND basketball skills together, then Cook is significantly ahead.

 

[CP84]

There is more to athleticism than being able to jump high. Cook is quicker, has better lateral quickness and agility, etc.

Is this based on any facts? How have you assessed lateral quickness?

Typically vertical is indicative of athletic ability.

 

[IAHawk2011]

Uh, it’s based off watching them both play and recognizing that Cook is quicker than Thomas was? No different than your claim that Thomas is more athletic than Cook.

 

[BrunoMars420]

Uh, it’s based off watching them both play and recognizing that Cook is quicker than Thomas was? No different than your claim that Thomas is more athletic than Cook.

Did you not watch the video of Doug ringing the bell at 13 feet?

 

[HawkSTL]

The number one skill needed by a player of Cook’s size is a jump shot. If you can’t consistently shoot from the outside in the NBA, forget it. He won’t be drafted without it. May get a free-agent deal after time as an athlete, but the object of the game is to score. He’s not ready.

There are plenty of athletic posts in the NBA that can’t shoot a lick. Pick-n-roll defense and the ability to switch ball screens by bigs is highly desired right now in the NBA. If Cook can do that, he’s got enough else going for him. Analytics have killed the 12 foot faceup jump shot in the NBA as even for good shooters it is not an efficient shot.

 

[hawkeyeguy69]

Did you not watch the video of Doug ringing the bell at 13 feet?

Awesome achievement! Point is....?

 

[mazda1]

The NBA won’t put up with his turnovers and he is not a great defensive rebounder.

Tyler has made great strides this year, but he’s not close to being NBA ready. He may make good money overseas and if his goal is to get paid he may well leave to do that. His defense has become acceptable and his handles are improved, but are not a strength. He’s not a clutch free thrower and has no single skill that will be dominant in the league.

IMO he should get his degree, play overseas for a few years and then leverage his name recognition to get paid somewhere in Iowa in because of his Hawkeye career.

 

[BrunoMars420]

Awesome achievement! Point is....?

He is super athletic and probably more so than Cook.

Name me one person that has a high vert that isn’t regarded as an athletic freak?

 

[Pepperman]

Reggie Evans never even struck me as being that athletic. He just knew how to use his body much better than most guys do. He also was strong and had a low center of gravity. Joe W is the player on the Hawks that has that skill set (not the build comparison but the rebounding one) - he's in the right spot more often than not and as another poster said about Evans, he knew where the ball was going before it went there.

Here's the thing with Cook - he needs to lurk on the weak side. If he did this, he'd be in rebounding position and he could get a lot of garbage points (Evans lived on the weak side, cleaning up the glass). Cook isn't able to shoot well and that's not changing at this point - maybe he can work on it over the summer, but at this stage of 2018/19 he's hurting us with these ill-advised jumpers as 1) They don't go in enough, and 2) Less rebounding help since Cook should be one of the natural rebounders.

 

[go-hawks37]

If Cook plays team ball this team has a chance to be special. If Cook hunts mid range jump shots and forces the action leading to live ball turnovers we will struggle. Cue first half of OSU game. Cook trying to highlight his own NBA skill. It was awful. You could sense the fans felt bad for him because he was so bad on offense. His defense was pretty good throughout the game.

 

[Pepperman]

If Cook plays team ball this team has a chance to be special. If Cook hunts mid range jump shots and forces the action leading to live ball turnovers we will struggle. Cue first half of OSU game. Cook trying to highlight his own NBA skill. It was awful. You could sense the fans felt bad for him because he was so bad on offense. His defense was pretty good throughout the game.

This is so accurate. I've been trying to find the way to say that all year. It all depends on what direction Tyler's willing to go from here. If he keeps trying to showcase whatever he thinks he can do, it is bad for the team. If you and I see this, and I know others here do too, then it isn't a stretch at all to assume the rest of the team sees it. I really hope he starts playing H2 style and ditches the idea of H1 showcase.

 

[HawkRugged17]

 

[amahawk]

I wish Mr. Cook the best. His life, his decision.

Thanks for being a Hawkeye.

 

[jawkhawk]

Today really showed that he isn’t anywhere close to being NBA caliber especially in today’s NBA. He has progressed in almost every aspect of his game but that jump shot is absolutely TERRIBLE. I hope it starts falling but there is no way he shouldn’t stay for another year unless he can hit a shot outside of 8 ft.

Today really showed that he isn’t anywhere close to being NBA caliber especially in today’s NBA. He has progressed in almost every aspect of his game but that jump shot is absolutely TERRIBLE. I hope it starts falling but there is no way he shouldn’t stay for another year unless he can hit a shot outside of 8 ft.

would have been better if he'd stayed but I wish him the best in the G- League or over in Europe

 

[RocknRollface]

The number one skill needed by a player of Cook’s size is a jump shot. If you can’t consistently shoot from the outside in the NBA, forget it. He won’t be drafted without it. May get a free-agent deal after time as an athlete, but the object of the game is to score. He’s not ready.

Theres a number of guys his size that cant shoot in the NBA.

Theres zero that don't play defense.

Ben Simmons is an All star and cant shoot.

 

[CP84]

Theres a number of guys his size that cant shoot in the NBA.

Theres zero that don't play defense.

Ben Simmons is an All star and cant shoot.

Simmons is a legit 6'10"
Cook is closer to 6'8"

Simmons can play defense, handle the ball like a guard and pass. Cook can't.

 

[BrunoMars420]

If anything cook can make a nice career over seas making triple digits and maybe make it to the NBA later in his career. The European game would actually help his game IMO

 

[RocknRollface]

Simmons is a legit 6'10"
Cook is closer to 6'8"

Simmons can play defense, handle the ball like a guard and pass. Cook can't.

They're essentially the same height and it wouldn't matter at all if Simmons was an inch or 2 shorter.

As for the rest. If you're angling for the title of captain obvious you got it.

Simmons is just one of ma y examples of guys in that size range in the NBA who dont shoot well.