NBA Draft Scouting Report: Texas' Tyrese Hunter - NBA Draft Digest

Tyrese Hunter

Guard | Texas

Height: 6’0” | Weight: 175lbs

2023 Draft Age: 19.87

Tyrese Hunter, Texas — Scott Wachter-USA TODAY Sports

Prospect Profile

Although he may be undersized, don’t underestimate Hunter. He’s an incredible athlete with elite quickness and good bounce. The sophomore point guard plays much bigger than he really is.

On the offensive end, Hunter can score in a hurry. He’s a dynamic player on that end and can make plays for himself and others. In fact, as a freshman he led his former team, Iowa State, in assists.

Hunter has a solid jumper, but is better known for making incredibly difficult shots at the rim. With the combination of shiftiness and speed, it’s tough for opposing defenders to stick with him.

Hunter is an improved 3-point shooter, but will need to continue to show consistency from beyond the arc.

The shot selection is sometimes questionable for Hunter, but when he’s feeling it there’s really no shot he can’t make. Regardless, if he makes the jump to the next level he will have to learn to play within a system in which he may not be a volume shooter.

Hunter is an energetic guy that makes electric plays and gets his team fired up. A true leader, he’s a player that can flip the momentum of a game quickly in his team’s favor.

While he’s a good facilitator and has a natural feel as a lead guard, turnovers have been a problem at points in the past. Since coming to Texas, the 6-foot guard has greatly improved on that front.

Another positive for Hunter is that he’s a good rebounder for his size.

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Speaking of size, you’d think his lack of it would limit him on the defensive end, but he’s actually a really good defender. He’s a pest and generates steals (two per game as a freshman) and deflections, but also blocked ten shots as a freshman. It will be interesting to see how a prospect of his size defends at the NBA level.

After an incredible freshman season at Iowa State, Hunter was one of the best transfers in the entire country. The former Cyclone opted to stay in the conference and become a Longhorn.

He’s coming off a season in which he earned Big 12 Freshman of the Year honors and was a finalist for the Kyle Macy Award (Top freshman in DI) and the Lefty Driesell Award (Top defender in D1).

As a freshman, he broke the single-season records for assists (172), steals (71) and games started (35) at Iowa State.

Before coming to college, Hunter led St. Catherine’s in Wisconsin to a 53-1 record during his final two high school seasons and was a top-35 recruit coming into college.

NBA Draft Scouting Report: Texas’ Tyrese Hunter – NBA Draft Digest