Ulis is a basketball-purist’s dream. We always hear that overused term “floor general” but if any player embodies that mantra, it’s Ulis. Watch five minutes of his tape and you’ll immediately see the most unselfish player in the draft, a true pass-first prospect who is always looking to orchestrate another scoring opportunity for his teammates.
I’ve already seen reports from scouts that Ulis is like having another coach on the floor and that his teammates absolutely adore him. In short, if there’s some sort of positive intangible as it pertains to point guards, it probably describes Ulis.
That’s not to say he’s all grit and moxie. Ulis has unbelievable handles and can take even premier-level defenders off the dribble. He also has a strong jump shot, which, even though it’s his secondary instinct to use, can be absolutely devastating when left alone. Unfortunately for Ulis though, he measures in at a mere 5-foot-10.
Despite all of his physical gifts and basketball acumen, his ceiling is limited by his physical shortcomings (absolutely no pun intended). His height makes it difficult to finish at the rim and to further exacerbate the problem his release is slow which only serves to compound his difficulty scoring.
That being said, good players find ways to adapt, and make no mistake, Ulis is a good player. Isaiah Thomas made an All-Star team despite small stature just this past season, after all. It’s difficult to project where his career will end up but through pure will-power and work ethic, I’m fairly positive that Ulis will end up having a strong professional career.
Next: No. 4