The Three Vanderbilt Basketball Players Who Benefit The Most From Tyler Tanner's Return – Sports Illustrated

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NASHVILLE—Vanderbilt basketball guard Tyler Tanner is back for year three on West End, and Vanderbilt is dreaming big as a result.
“This news turned us from a top 25 team to a Final Four contender, in my opinion,” Vanderbilt guard Ace Glass toldVandy on SI. “I’m super excited for this great upcoming season.” 
A hallmark of Tanner's game is his ability to make his teammates better and unlock their skillsets, and a number of them are dreaming big as a result. Here's who Tanner could help the most.
Bangot Dak
With Tanner and Dak, Vanderbilt has one of the most difficult to stop pick and roll duos in the SEC. If Tanner and Dak get their chemistry down, they could become the best one in the league. 
Tanner is as dynamic an initiator out of ballscreens as there is in the SEC and Dak’s 7-foot frame makes him one of the most capable lob catchers in the league. Dak can create for himself, but he’s better when he’s got a good point guard initiating things on his behalf. 
Dak will also benefit from having Tanner on the defensive end. He’s as capable a shotblocker as Vanderbilt has rostered in the Mark Byington era, but Tanner can cause disruption on the perimeter that will limit the shots on goal that Dak will have to defend around the bucket. 
With Tanner’s return, Dak became a significantly more meaningful addition. 
Ace Glass
Glass immediately responded to a comment request after Tanner’s decision to return was announced. Perhaps that was the best indicator in regard to what Glass makes of sharing the backcourt with Tanner. 
“I’m very excited for Tanner to be back,” Glass told Vandy on SI. “I feel like we complement each other very well on the court and off. I feel like him coming back pushed us even more to be the great team we will be.”
Tanner’s return allows Glass to be himself. Glass said earlier in the spring that he was open to initiating the offense, but where he’s really at his best is the two–where he can put the ball on the floor and score it without regard for creating for others. 
Glass averaged 16.4 points, 3.0 rebounds, 2.3 assists and .8 steals per game in his freshman season in Pullman. He shot 45.5% from the field, 36.4% from 3-point range and 88.2% from the free throw line. Glass was also No. 6 in the country in points per possessions on off the dribble shots among players that attempted over five per game.
The question surrounding Glass is what he can give Vanderbilt defensively, which appears to be less important now that Tanner can be its head of the snake on that end. Tanner can help to mask some of those concerns. 
As a result, Vanderbilt has one of the best starting backcourts in the SEC.
Chandler Bing
Bing is on pace to make a significant leap in year two. It won’t be as dramatic as Tanner’s leap, but Tanner believes in Bing. 
“I've told people since the start of the season, we have a lot of similarities,” Tanner told Vandy on SI during the NCAA Tournament. “He’s just a dog. He'll do anything to win, unselfish. 
And that drive that he has, like, I told him; I see the same thing in me. And that was something that brought us closer.”
Unlike Tanner, though, Bing likely needs a good point guard by his side to unlock his offensive game. Having Tanner’s aggressiveness will allow Bing to take more risks on the defensive end, too. Time for Bing to take that leap with Tanner by his side.
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Joey Dwyer is the lead writer on Vanderbilt Commodores On SI. He found his first love in college sports at nearby Lipscomb University and decided to make a career of telling its best stories. He got his start doing a Notre Dame basketball podcast from his basement as a 14-year-old during COVID and has since aimed to make that 14-year-old proud. Dwyer has covered Vanderbilt sports for three years and previously worked for 247 Sports and Rivals. He contributes to Seth Davis' Hoops HQ, Basket Under Review and Mainstreet Nashville.
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