Myles Rice Forces His Way into 2025 NBA Draft's 1st Round Discussion
Throughout the offseason, it has been Mackenzie Mgbako and Kanaan Carlyle being touted as this team's top 2025 NBA draft prospects. This is by no means an attempt to disagree with those claims. However, it does feel a bit odd not coming across any mention of Myles Rice within these projections.
After losing a season to a serious medical battle, Rice turned heads as a freshman at Washington State last year. The Pac-12's Freshman of the Year and 1st-Team all-conference member was electric in his first official NCAA season, and there is no way his name does not start to come up on Big Boards as the season wanes on.
Bryson Tucker Earns Spot on All B1G Freshman Team
Getting/staying on the court is not going to be easy for Bryson Tucker with Mgbako and Reneau locked in at the starting forward slots plus a plethora of perimeter players vying for minutes off the bench. Still, his lanky frame and springy step are the type of characteristics you look for in a modern wing from a tangible perspective. And the collected nature that he showcases on both ends of the floor should bode well for his transition to this heightened level of pace and overall competition.
Tucker does not need to score a bunch of points in order to make his presence felt this season. It is not that he cannot, it is just this squad has enough sources of scoring already. It is not that Woody and his staff do not want the McDonald's All-American to get buckets, it is just that they need him to play a major part in preventing them.
Whenever the freshman is on the floor, expect a lot of energy from him at the point of attack on D. Branching off of that, expect a guy who can get out on the break and fill lanes swiftly. Beyond that, look for someone who utilizes his bunnies to crash the boards on both ends. We all know how vital the art of rebounding is to the outcome on the scoreboard, and Tucker will be counted on to help control the glass.
If/when Bryson Tucker can master the ability to do the little things consistently, he should turn out to be one of the most important player's on this team. And the thing is, it is not as if there is much (if any?) pressure on Tucker to come in and put up huge numbers right from the jump. The cast around him will do the bulk of the heavy lifting in terms of numerical output, so there is much less urgency for him to find his rhythm than it was for Mackenzie Mgbako during his first collegiate campaign.