When Tyler Ulis signed with Kentucky two years ago, many believed that, for the first time in a long time, John Calipari had a four-year player at the point. Going back to his days at Memphis, Calipari had coached a string of one-and-done phenoms at the position like Derrick Rose, Tyreke Evans, John Wall, Brandon Knight and Marquise Teague. Ulis was different. At 5’9″, he certainly didn’t project very well to the next level, and the idea was that he would stick around Lexington as a solid floor general until graduation day. The only problem is that someone forgot to tell Ulis. Last night, before Kentucky’s 85-59 dismantling of Alabama in its first SEC Tournament game, Calipari announced that Ulis has already made the decision to leave school early for the NBA after this season concludes.
As a freshman on last season’s uber-talented roster, Ulis was more of a contributor than anyone expected, playing as many minutes as anyone on the team by the end of the season. His numbers (5.6 PPG; 3.6 APG) weren’t anything special, but nobody’s on the 38-1 “platoon” squad were either. Ulis came into his sophomore year with much higher expectations, but no one foresaw just how good he turned out to be. In a league that boasts the likely top pick in the NBA Draft (Ben Simmons) and another top-three pick in a teammate (Jamal Murray), Ulis was the consensus SEC Player of the Year and SEC Defensive Player of the Year. It wasn’t just his 16.6 PPG or league-leading 7.3 assists per contest. It was the way he proved capable of taking over a game like few diminutive players can. He always seems to hit the big shot, make the big steal, or dish out the big assist. Along with Murray, he has carried a Kentucky team that has, extensively at times, shown significant deficiencies in the post.
While Ulis’ NBA stock is certainly higher than anyone would have anticipated at this stage of his career (or, perhaps, at any time of his career), the decision to forgo his final two years in Lexington is far from a no-brainer. A few outlets report that he is a late first rounder, but most project him as a second-round pick (and therefore no guaranteed contract). Given how well he has played this year, it’s reasonable to assume that his stock will never be higher. For Calipari, the decision is just another feather in his player development cap, and as his announcement implies, the assumption that Ulis would stay at Kentucky for four years underestimated even his abilities. Regardless of whether Ulis is drafted in the first round or is forced to work to make a roster as a second-round pick, no one will be surprised if he figures out a way to have a long career as a professional. For Kentucky fans, the hope is that Ulis can spark one more March run before his time in college — once thought to be much longer — comes to a close.