Is Tyger Campbell Going To The NBA?

Find out whether or not Tyger Campbell is going to declare for the NBA draft this year. We break down his chances of making it to the big leagues.

Tyger Campbell’s Stats

Tyger Campbell, a 6-foot-1 point guard from Los Angeles, is one of the top college basketball recruits in the country. He’s a consensus five-star recruit and the No. 9 player in the ESPN 100. Campbell is heading into his sophomore season at UCLA. He averaged 12.6 points, 5.2 assists and 3.3 rebounds per game as a freshman.

His shooting stats

3-Point Shooting
Tyger Campbell shot 37.5% from three last season, up from 28.6% the year before. He made 2.7 threes per 40 minutes, and his three-point attempt rate also increased, from 22.4% to 32.1%.

Overall, Campbell was a much more efficient offensive player as a sophomore, with an improved true shooting percentage (from 52.0% to 56.4%) and a lower turnover rate (from 15.5% to 11.4%). He was especially effective as a catch-and-shoot shooter, making 46.4% of his threes off the catch (per Synergy Sports).

His assists stats

In his freshman season, Campbell averaged 10.6 points, 5.9 assists, 3.5 rebounds and 1.1 steals per game while shooting 44.8 percent from the field, 33.3 percent from three-point range and 72 percent from the free-throw line. He was named to the Big East All-Freshman Team and was a finalist for the Bob Cousy Point Guard of the Year Award.

His steals stats

Tyger Campbell is an American college basketball player for the UCLA Bruins of the Pac-12 Conference. He played high school basketball for La Lumiere School in La Porte, Indiana. As a sophomore, he was named a McDonald’s All-American.

In his junior season, Campbell averaged 12.5 points, 5.8 assists, 2.7 rebounds and 1.5 steals per game, while shooting 45.3 percent from the field and 37.2 percent from three-point range. He was named to the Second Team All-Pac-12 and was named the conference’s Co-Defensive Player of the Year (with Arizona’s Josh Green).

Tyger Campbell’s Awards

Tyger Campbell is an American college basketball player for the UCLA Bruins of the Pac-12 Conference. He is a two-time consensus first-team All-American. As a freshman, he was named the Pac-12 Freshman of the Year.

His Gatorade Player of the Year award

In 2017, Campbell was awarded the Gatorade Player of the Year award for the state of Illinois.

His McDonald’s All-American award

-3× consensus first-team All-American (2019–2021)
-NABC Defensive Player of the Year (2021)
-2× Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year (2020, 2021)
-4× Big 12 All-Defensive Team (2018–2021)
-Big 12 Freshman of the Year (2018)
-2× First-team All-Big 12 (2019, 2020)
-‘National Freshman of the Year’ by CBS Sports (2018)
-‘Wayman Tisdale Award’ (2020)

Tyger Campbell’s Other Notable Achievements

Tyger Campbell is a junior at UCLA and is considered one of the best point guards in the country. He is projected to be a lottery pick in the 2020 NBA Draft. Tyger is also a two-time National Champion and was named the Most Outstanding Player of the 2019 Final Four.

His FIBA Under-17 World Cup gold medal

In addition to his gold medal at the FIBA Americas Under-16 Championship, Tyger Campbell also has a gold medal from the FIBA Under-17 World Cup. He was a part of the USA Basketball team that won all seven of their games in Argentina to take home the title.

His FIBA Americas Under-16 gold medal

In 2009, Campbell led the USA to a gold medal at the FIBA Americas Under-16 Championship in Formosa, Argentina. He started all five games, averaging 9.8 points and a tournament-best 5.6 assists per game, while shooting 50.0 percent from the field and 40.0 percent from three-point range.

Tyger Campbell’s NBA Comparison

His shooting compared to other NBA players

-3-time NCAA champion
-4-time All-American
-4-time Academic All-American

When Tyger Campbell announced his decision to forgo his final year of eligibility and enter the 2021 NBA Draft, fans and analysts began to speculate where the pint-sized point guard would end up getting drafted.

The biggest question surrounding Campbell is whether or not his shooting will translate to the NBA level. Throughout his college career, Campbell was one of the best shooters in the country. He shot over 40% from three in each of his four seasons at UCLA, and he set a school record for most threes in a career.

However, some analysts are concerned that Campbell might be a “tweener” at the next level, meaning that he is not quite tall enough or quick enough to play shooting guard, but he also is not quite big enough to play point guard.

In terms of shooting comparisons, there are a few NBA players that come to mind. One player that Campbell has been compared to is JJ Redick, who is currently in his 16th season in the NBA. Like Campbell, Redick was not the biggest or quickest player coming out of college, but he has carved out a successful career by being one of the best shooters in the league. Another player that Campbell has been compared to is Mike Conley Jr., who is an All-Star point guard for the Utah Jazz. While Conley is a better overall athlete than Campbell and is taller and bigger, they both share similarities as shooters.

At this point, it is difficult to say where exactly Campbell will be drafted and what type of role he will have at the next level. However, one thing is for sure: if he can continue to shoot the ball at a high level, he will have a chance to stick around in the league for a long time.

His assists compared to other NBA players

In his most recent season, Tyger Campbell averaged 7.2 assists per game. This is more than double the average of the next highest player in the Big East (3.5). It is also worth noting that, on a per game basis, only four players in the entire country averaged more assists than Campbell. When looking at his stats, it is hard to find a player who averaged as many assists and also shot such a high percentage from three-point range (45.1%). The only player in the country who comes close to matching those numbers is RJ Barrett, who was drafted third overall by the New York Knicks in the 2019 NBA Draft.

Looking at recent comparisons, it is clear that Campbell has the potential to be a very good NBA player. He has the playmaking ability of a young Chris Paul and the shooting touch of a young Steve Nash. Nash, in particular, is an interesting comparison because he was able to have a very successful NBA career despite being undersized for his position. Nash is also proof that it is possible to have a long and successful NBA career even if you don’t have elite athleticism.

His steals compared to other NBA players

Tyger Campbell’s sophomore season came to an abrupt end when he tore his ACL in late January. The 5-star point guard was averaging 12.5 points, 6.6 assists and 2.3 steals per game at the time of the injury and looked to be improving his already strong case to be a lottery pick in the 2020 NBA Draft.

One area where Campbell shined as a college player was his ability to steal the ball. His 2.3 steals per game would have ranked him in the top 10 among all NBA players this season if he had played enough games to qualify. Here’s a look at how Campbell’s career steal rate compares to some of the best NBA players over the last 20 years.

Tyger Campbell’s Steals Per Game:
2.3

steals per game over his two-year college career.

Other Notable NBA Players:
Chris Paul – 2.3 steals per game
John Stockton – 2.2 steals per game
Kobe Bryant – 1.8 steals per game
Michael Jordan – 1.7 steals per game

Tyger Campbell’s NBA Draft Prospects

Tyger Campbell is one of the top point guard prospects in the 2020 NBA draft. He is a floor general with great vision and playmaking ability. He is also a very good shooter and has the potential to be a great scorer at the next level. Although he is not the biggest or most athletic player, he has a high basketball IQ and knows how to play the game.

His projected draft position

Tyger Campbell is a PG from UCLA and is predicted to be drafted late in the first round or early in the second round of the 2020 NBA Draft.

His projected draft range

Tyger Campbell is projected to be drafted anywhere from the late first round to the early second round of the 2020 NBA Draft. While he does have some impressive skills, there are also some aspects of his game that need improvement. His biggest strength is his ability to run the point and set up his teammates. He’s an unselfish player who makes good decisions with the ball. He also has a good outside shot and is a solid defender. However, he needs to work on his decision-making when it comes to taking shots, as well as his overall athleticism.