By LARRY VAUGHT
Kentucky freshman guard TyTy Washington just kept impressing not only basketball analysts but college coaches the more he played last season for Arizona Compass Prep.
Count NBA draft analyst Matt Babcock, who writes for www.basketballnews.com, among those who did not fully appreciate Washington early last season. Kentucky coach John Calipari and his staff were in the same category because Nolan Hickman Jr. was the point guard they targeted and signed. It was not until Hickman asked out of his commitment that UK went all-in on Washington late in the spring. He signed with UK on May 12.
So what changed so much with Washington, a one-time Creighton commit, from November to March?
“When I saw TyTy play at the Pangos All-American Festival last November I think he was a bit overshadowed by some of the higher rated players at the time,” said Babcock. “I really value attending events like those because it gives me an opportunity to evaluate a lot of different players at once.
“However, the downside is that oftentimes star players dominate the ball in live-play, so naturally a lot of players do get overlooked to a certain extent. When I saw TyTy play against Emoni Bates’ team in March, he was allowed to be himself and run the show. As a result, he shined brightly.”
Babcock compared the 6-3, 190-pound Washington to former NBA standout Chauncey Billups and says that was intended to be “high praise” for the UK freshman.
“Now that I’ve gotten to know TyTy and his game so well, I still stick by that statement. TyTy has solid size for a point guard, he’s as tough as nails, shoots the ball with range, and his court awareness and presence are special,” Babcock said. “He also has ice in his veins and doesn’t get rattled. All of which are just like Billups.”
Babcock believes because Washington was a “late bloomer” and there was limited media coverage due to the pandemic combined to factor into why he was not higher ranked in his recruiting class. However, Babcock has no doubts about his ability.
“I’m very familiar with Nolan Hickman’s game. He’s a good player and I believe that he has a chance to have a solid NBA career if he develops properly. However, I’m really high on TyTy as a prospect. I think he is a significant upgrade for Kentucky,” Babcock said.
“As far as expectations go, it’s hard to project with incoming freshmen, but I do expect TyTy to have a good year and be the leader of the team at the very least.”
What about the 2022 draft? Could TyTy Washington be picked then?
“Like any freshmen, TyTy needs to establish some confidence early on that he can build off of in order to have a productive season,” Babcock said. “My expectations are that TyTy will have a good season and be a first-round draft pick in the 2022 NBA Draft.”
Babcock believes the nation’s two best freshman point guards could both be in the Southeastern Conference. Kennedy Chandler signed with Tennessee after being pursued by Kentucky. The two will be scheduled to meet at least twice during the season.
“There is going to be a legitimate rivalry between these two that should be fun to watch,” Babcock said.
(You can follow Babcock on Twitter @MattBabcock11.