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Indiana Pacers: Five Possible First Round Options

By Kyle Nishida

May 16, 2016; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Indiana Pacers new head coach Nate McMillan and president of basketball operations Larry Bird speak to the press during a press conference at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports
May 16, 2016; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Indiana Pacers new head coach Nate McMillan and president of basketball operations Larry Bird speak to the press during a press conference at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports /
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Indiana Pacers
Mar 13, 2016; Nashville, TN, USA; Kentucky Wildcats guard Tyler Ulis (3) looks to pass the ball in the first half against the Texas A&M Aggies during the championship game of SEC tournament at Bridgestone Arena. Mandatory Credit: Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports /

Point Guard Tyler Ulis

It is never a real NBA draft unless there are few Kentucky Wildcats drafted in the first round. Sophomore Tyler Ulis will probably be the third Wildcat drafted this year, and Indianapolis could be a possible destination for him.

Ulis is a unique kind of player because he has experience being a role player and also a star player. As a freshman, he took a backseat while his teammates Karl-Anthony Towns, Devon Booker, Trey Lyles and Willie Cauley-Stein did most of the work for the Wildcats.

Then, as a sophomore, Ulis seamlessly transitioned into the leader role for the Wildcats. He averaged 17.3 points, seven assists and three rebounds per game and earned many accolades due to his excellent play. He was a Consensus first-team All-American, he won the Bob Cousy Point Guard of the Year award, and he was voted the SEC Player of the Year by both league coaches and the Associated Press.

The greatest quality Ulis has is leadership, which is a difficult term to describe a lot of times. Kentuck head coach John Calipari has his own working definition of the word “leadership” and think Ulis is one of the best leaders he has ever coached.

"“Tyler Ulis is, in my mind, the best floor general that we’ve had, since I’ve coached. I mean, the best floor general. Now what he’s learning to do is lead off the court. You can’t just lead on the court and then away from the court you kind of separate.”"

Calipari has coached players like Derrick Rose and John Wall, but he thinks Ulis is the best “floor general” (essentially leader) he has ever coached. That’s high praise.

The one issue with Ulis is his size. He is only 5’9” and barely weighed 160 pounds in college. He could get pushed around a lot in the NBA. However, Ulis is a tough and scrappy player. He gets up on ball-handers on defense and makes his opponents very uncomfortable with his quick hands and feet.

A lot mock drafts have Ulis going somewhere in between picks 15 through 25 with a lot suggesting the Pacers will take him. He has not had pre-draft workout with Indiana Pacers, but that does not mean they are not interested. The Pacers should think about if Ulis is the type of point guard they want.

Next: PF / C Damian Jones

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