The biggest question looming for Vanderbilt basketball over the next month is whether Tyler Tanner will return to college after declaring for the NBA draft.
Amid his participation in the NBA combine, Tanner is not offering many hints.
““Right now, I’m just pushing for the NBA,” Tanner told Jeff Borzello of ESPN. “Me, my agent, my family, we’ll have a conversation closer to the deadline … but right now, we’re really not worried about college. Vanderbilt’s a great spot, but my dream is to play in the NBA.”
It’s not necessarily out of the ordinary for Tanner to suggest that he is focused on the NBA while going through an event dedicated to the draft. Measuring at 5-10¾ inches and 167 pounds at the combine, the biggest concern for Tanner is his size. While another year in college could help him to gain weight and muscle, he won’t grow any taller. Thus, if a team is interested in selecting him min the first round, he might be better off taking a guaranteed NBA contract. But whether that will happen is in question. A player under 6 feet tall hasn’t been drafted in the first round since 2013.
Tanner also showed a 6-4¼ wingspan and a 7-foot-9 standing reach.
During a combine interview, Tanner said he had not yet met with any teams.
Tanner participated in a 5-on-5 scrimmage at the combine, facing off against Vanderbilt teammate Tyler Nickel. Tanner played 25 minutes, shooting 4-for-11 from the field and 3-for-7 from three. He recorded six rebounds, five assists, two steals and two turnovers but also committed five fouls.
“I just love to hoop, me and my agent, he knows that I love to play basketball and we thought, I’m trying to make a jump in this draft, I’m trying to be higher than I am projected right now,” Tanner told Finn Kuehl of Bench Mob Blog. ” … With that comes taking some risks.”
Nickel played 21 minutes and went 3-for-8 from the field, including 2-for-7 from three. He had two rebounds, two assists, one steal and one turnover.
Aria Gerson covers Vanderbilt athletics for The Tennessean. Contact her at agerson@gannett.com or on X @aria_gerson.
