By Jordan Long
The Sacramento Kings have added a player who they hope will help them off the bench, Tyler Lydon. He agreed to a 2-year contract with the team. Lydon was with the Denver Nuggets the last two years.
The Utah Jazz originally selected Lydon with the 24th pick in the 2017 NBA draft. He was traded to the Denver Nuggets for Donovan Mitchell. Denver expected Lydon to be the future at the power forward position.
Unfortunately it didn’t work out. Lydon spent the 2017-2018 season with the Rio Grande Valley Vipers in the G-league, the NBA’s minor league basketball system. He appeared in 15 games for the Vipers averaging 12.7 points, 8.3 rebounds, and 2.1 assists per game. He was called up during that year and played in 1 game for the Nuggets but it lasted 2 minutes. Lydon’s season ended due to arthroscopic surgery on his left knee.
This past season, Lydon again played in the G-league for the Capital City Go-Go, lasting 8 games. Lydon averaged 13.3 points, 9.1 rebounds, and 2.5 assists per game. The Nuggets called him up and he suited up in 25 games and averaged 3.8 minutes. Lydon was mostly used in cleanup time when the games were out of reach. In those minutes Lydon averaged 0.9 points, 0.7 rebounds, and 0.2 assists per game. Lydon was unable to find time on the floor because of the Nuggets talented rotation.
The Nuggets knew this wasn’t working out. They decided to let Lydon go after 2 years. It didn’t seem Lydon had a fair shot with the Nuggets since he was buried down in the depth chart.
The Kings know they could use depth on the roster. He is likely to come off the bench this year. The Kings need a 3-point shooter. Lydon can make deep 3’s which may help the Kings in games. His career 3-point percentage is 40%. When Lydon is in games, he must prove to the NBA he can play the game at a high level. He has yet to show it. Lydon has his opportunity to do so.
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