ESPN.com NBA Draft analyst Chad Ford has released his first 2017 mock draft since the conclusion of the 2016-17 college basketball season, and the Syracuse Orange’s Tyler Lydon has fallen into the second round.
Lydon had been as a projected first-round pick dating back to last year. He averaged 13.2 points and 8.6 rebounds for the Orange this season.
After his impressive freshman year, including a few eye-opening performances at the Battle 4 Atlantis, Lydon started to appear in 2016 mock drafts before announcing he’d stay at SU for his sophomore season. For the past year, he’s appeared anywhere from 18th to 25th in various mocks.
DraftExpress, which teams up with The Vertical on Yahoo for their projections, still has Lydon going 23rd overall in the upcoming draft.
The 2017 NBA Draft takes place on June 22.
Tyler Lydon said goodbye to Syracuse back on March 22, and on Wednesday — we all received confirmation that he won’t be returning to SU. Lydon will be signing autographs on Thursday in Utica, which means he will forfeit his remaining college eligibility.
#ForeverOrange pic.twitter.com/rMEfv4bLvQ
— Tyler Lydon (@Tyler_Lydon14) March 22, 2017