Vanderbilt’s Tyler Tanner (left) passes as Ja’kobi Gillespie of Tennessee defends during the second half of a 2026 SEC Men’s Basketball Tournament quarterfinal game at Bridgestone Arena on March 13, 2026, in Nashville.
Vanderbilt’s Tyler Tanner (left) passes as Ja’kobi Gillespie of Tennessee defends during the second half of a 2026 SEC Men’s Basketball Tournament quarterfinal game at Bridgestone Arena on March 13, 2026, in Nashville.
If Vanderbilt guard Tyler Tanner was hoping to gain clarity this week on whether to remain in the NBA Draft pool, he may be returning home disappointed.
The first-team All-SEC performer had his share of ups and downs during the NBA combine in Chicago, leading at least some evaluators to say he should return to the Commodores for a third season.
A Brentwood native and Brentwood Academy alum, Tanner declared for the draft in late April but maintained his college eligibility. He would need to remove his name from the draft by May 27 if he wants to return to Vanderbilt for the 2026-27 season.
Tanner may actually have suffered a slight setback during official measurements, when he was assessed at 5-10-3/4 and 167 pounds. Vanderbilt had listed him at 6-0 and 175 pounds during the 2025-26 season.
It was no surprise to learn that Tanner is short and light, but the fact remains that no NBA team has used a first-round pick on a player under six feet tall since 2013.
The average height for an NBA point guard this year is 6-3, per thehoopgeek.com.
Tanner fared well in some of the early shooting drills at the combine, finishing second in shooting off the dribble (26-of-30, 86.7 percent) and fourth in side-to-side (19-for-30, 63.3 percent).
Overall in the shooting drills, Tanner recorded the seventh-best shooting percentage (67.5 percent), one spot ahead of former Vandy teammate Tyler Nickel (66.9 percent) and three spots ahead of Tennessee guard Ja’Kobie Gillespie (65.8 percent).
Tanner was generally middle of the pack among the 75 participants in the various strength and agility drills, though he showed he has hops — recording a standing vertical leap of 32 inches (tied for 23rd) and a max vertical leap of 39 inches (tied for 15th).
The combine featured scrimmages on Wednesday and Thursday, and Tanner’s first performance was much better than his second.
In his opener, Tanner played 25:09, going 4-for-11 from the field overall, 3-of-7 from three-point range and 2-for-2 at the free-throw line for 13 points. He added five assists and two steals, while committing five fouls and suffering two turnovers.
One problem? Tanner spent part of his day trying to guard fellow sub-6 footer Gillespie, who blew up the box score with 28 points on 10-for-17 shooting (5-of-8 from three-point range), adding five assists and three steals.
“Tanner decided to play in the combine scrimmage to help his stock, but he didn’t dominate like he hoped,” wrote Ricky O’Donnell of SB Nation. “His team got blown out and he was outplayed by the other small guard from a Tennessee university in Gillespie.
“I’m a big Tanner fan, but it’s hard to watch the [NBA] playoffs and think he can survive being [targeted] defensively. He’s also not a great shot creator or a great shooter. He’s damn good at basketball, and I think he’ll make it work eventually. But I wouldn’t be surprised if NBA scouts aren’t super high on him after this week.”
Tanner struggled in Thursday’s scrimmage, shooting 1-for-7 overall and 0-for-4 from three-point distance for two points in 24:33 of playing time. He added five assists, two steals and three turnovers.
It’s hard to imagine that shooting drills and scrimmages over the course of a few days would outweigh Tanner’s performance during the 2025-26 season, when he averaged 19.5 points, 5.1 assists, 3.6 rebounds and 2.4 steals — shooting 49 percent from the field overall and 37 percent from three-point distance.
But if Tanner, who is considered a fringe first-round pick by many NBA draft evaluators, was hoping to better his stock with strong combine performances, that didn’t happen either.
Each NBA draft round offers 30 picks, but only first-round selections have contracts automatically guaranteed for two years.
ESPN’s Jeremy Woo, who has Tanner getting selected at No. 31 (the top choice in round two) in his latest mock draft, listed Tanner in his “Prospects with Questions to Answer” category following the two scrimmages.
“Though he flashed exceptional talent this season at Vanderbilt, the way NBA teams tend to devalue players his size makes his case somewhat polarizing in a draft class that’s deep at his position,” Woo wrote. “He didn’t bolster his case for late first-round consideration.
“That will influence his decision whether to return to Vanderbilt, a move that would be profitable from an NBA perspective. He’s a unique prospect with a number of fans around the league and will again be a first-round candidate if he returns [to Vanderbilt].”
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