How Tyler Nickel Has Been Able to Show NBA Teams his Passing Ability – Sports Illustrated

Earlier in the week, Vanderbilt basketball got the best news of its offseason with the return of its star point guard, Tyler Tanner. The return of Tanner gives Vanderbilt a roster that provides a higher ceiling than the way the Commodores finished a season ago. But one of the notable missing pieces from last season’s team that will not be returning for the 2026-2027 season is now-former Vanderbilt wing Tyler Nickel
Since Vanderbilt’s season came to an end in the Round of 32 in March, Nickel has been going through the NBA Draft process in hopes of being drafted next month or finding an opportunity on a roster post-draft.
During his time at Vanderbilt, Nickel was known as the Commodores sharpshooter that could pull up and shoot from anywhere once he crossed midcourt. But one of the aspects of his game that seemed to fly under the radar was his passing ability.
Wednesday, Nickel worked out with the Golden State Warriors for his fourth NBA workout of his offseason. While most questions were directed toward his offseason process overall, Nickel was also asked about if he feels he has shown scouts and teams his capabilities as passer.
“Yeah, I would say so. Also, a lot of the way the workouts are set up is three-on-three, so there’s a ton of space so it’s pretty easy to make certain reads. Off of certain cuts or different actions, we have so many athletic, long guys you can throw lobs to and stuff like that,” Nickel said.
The types of drills Nickel has gone through in his NBA workouts seems to naturally provide an avenue for draft prospects to show off their passing ability. With three-on-three basketball, the game goes a little faster and passing and screening is much more prevalent.
The assist numbers he put up at Vanderbilt this past season may not indicate his passing ability with just 1.2 assists per game during his senior year, but it is an aspect of his game he believes has been overlooked.
During the 2025-2026 season, Nickel had an assist rate (ARate) of 7.0. That means while Nickel was on the floor this past season, he averaged 7.0 assists per 100 Vanderbilt possessions. That number was sixth among players on Vanderbilt’s roster.
Despite that, Nickel thinks he is better than those numbers indicate as a passer. With the way his workouts have gone, Nickel feels that the chances he has been given have shown teams that he is more than just a three-pointer shooter.
“Plays kind of develop on their own, but I think I’ve been able to show a good amount,” Nickel said.
Between now and when the NBA Draft takes place June 23-24, Nickel said he still has 10 or more workouts scheduled. If he can continue to show out in those opportunities, who knows where he could end up beginning his professional career.
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Graham Baakko is a writer for Vanderbilt Commodores On SI, primarily covering football, basketball and baseball. Graham is a recent graduate from the University of Alabama, where he wrote for The Crimson White, WVUA-FM, WVUA 23 as he covered a variety of Crimson Tide sports. He also covered South Carolina athletics as a sportswriting intern for GamecockCentral.
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