Tyrese Hunter

Two years ago, Tyrese Hunter was one of the most productive freshmen in the country, starting all 35 games at Iowa State and averaging 11 points, nearly 5 assists, 4 rebounds, and 2 steals for a Cyclones team that unexpectedly won 20 games. When he opted to transfer, he became one of the biggest names in the portal and subsequently a key addition for then first year Texas head coach Chris Beard, but has seen his overall production plateau somewhat in his two seasons in Austin.

Hunter lacks great size, but he is very adept at getting paint touches and then a high percentage finisher for a guard his size. Per Pivot Analysis, he converted a career high 55% of his shots at the rim this year, while attempting half of his total shots from that range. He has a deceptive ability to absorb contact and then good dexterity as a lay-up maker. He also has an ability to get his shot off in the mid-range area in late clock situations, both by rising up into pull-ups and having good range on his runners.

Hunter is a playmaking defender who has active hands, a good nose for the ball, and then attacks with pace in the open floor if he’s able to create offense from his defense. Texas was also notably better defensively when he was on the court, to the tune of nearly five points per 100 possessions per Pivot Analysis.

The biggest questions about Hunter are the consistency of his outside shooting and whether or not he’s a true point guard. He’s made notable strides from behind the arc in each of his three college seasons and has a relatively fluid, albeit not always totally consistent, release. He made 34% of his attempts from that range this year, but did so while being more selective with his attempts (a career low 3.2 3PA/game) and shot nearly 44% on unguarded catch-and-shoot attempts per Synergy Sports, showing he’s capable of spacing the floor. He's played alongside another lead guard in each of his two seasons in Austin, in large part because he has a high turnover rate and can be inconsistent with his decision-making, although he did make progress making plays for others while he was in attack mode this year, upping his assists from 2.5 to 4.1 per game this season.

More Evaluations

• Evaluated 06/10/2020 Jerry Meyer Director of Basketball Scouting Read