By Kostas Giataganas/ info@eurohoops.net
Fenerbahce continued with their transfer moves in something more than a dynamic fashion as, after Joffrey Lauvergne, they convinced another player to leave behind the magical world of the NBA and make the trip from the other side of the Atlantic to Istanbul.
That player is none other than Tyler Ennis, the big new acquisition of the finalists in Belgrade last season, who want to fill the gap left by Brad Wanamaker’s departure in the most ideal way, after the latter went the opposite way, to the NBA.
Eurohoops sketches out the profile of the 24-year-old Canadian point guard, who, from the magical world of the NBA and the Lakers last year, will get to know Europe for the first time, following in the footsteps of his older brother.
Tyler is not the first Ennis to make the transatlantic journey. Last year, European fans got to know his older brother, Dylan, who played in the EuroLeague in the colors of Crvena Zvezda in 18 games (6.5 points), with stints in Mega Leks and the Spanish teams, Zaragoza and Andorra, in the second half of the season.
Why Obradovic picked him
Looking for the player who would fill Wanamaker’s gap, Obradovic surely wanted someone who would be able to respond to his needs. And this isn’t just in regards to his value as a player, but the ability and will of his players to… change and respond to what Zoc wants, every day, in every training session, in every game.
Tyler Ennis can respond to this, as he has the advantage of changing whenever it is required and in the way his team requires it. “It depends on what the team needs from me,” he has said since his college years and he means it, since the experts in the USA, Jonathan Givony of the DraftExpress first among them, have said characteristically that he was like a “chameleon,” that every season he’s a different player.
He’s characterized by his leadership skills on the court, as he clearly has the ability to score uninterruptedly, though he’s not considered selfish on the court but a team player, which is exactly what you need to get ahead in Obradovic’s teams.
On the other side, of course, a disadvantage that he has had from the beginning of his career, is the lack of speed with the ball and of athleticism, something he does manage to make up for with his concentration and his high basketball IQ.
A basketball family
It was more than a done deal that Tyler would follow the orange goddess. In the family of Tony McIntyre and Suzette Ennis McIntyre in Ontario, Canada, there was only basketball on the menu and orange was the player’s favorite color.
You see, the father was a coach and so, all six kids of the family more or less were preoccupied with the sport, with young Tyler first coming in contact with a basketball when he was just a few days old, while, as he was growing up, he even provided commentary for games with his brothers in homemade videos.
A leader from his first season
His leadership skills were already apparent in high school. However, where he clearly showed he was made for big things was in Syracuse, where he played in the 2013/2014 season and made the difference, after his great performances with the national team of Canada in the 2013 FIBA Under-19 World Championship, where he was the top scorer with 20.9 points, his highlight being the 42 points he scored against China.
Following the lead of Michael Carter-Williams, Ennis took over the reins of the Orange and excelled, with his stats being emphatic (12.9 points, 5.5 assists, 2.1 steals) but not the only element of his excellent season, in which, together with his team, he reached the second round of the last phase of the NCAA and could have gone even further (Sweet Sixteen) if he had scored the three-point buzzer-beater against Dayton.
NBA, the Suns and Giannis
With a season like that in college and with the right to register for the Draft, he did so and didn’t lose, as the Suns selected him with the 18th overall pick but used him only sparingly in the 2014/2015 season, with just eight appearances.
This is why he changed three teams in the NBA, spending two years on the side of Giannis Antetokounmpo in the Bucks (204-2016), before his stints in the Rockets and the Lakers in the last year and a half. Last season, he was Lonzo Ball’s backup before making the decision to come to… our neck of the woods and Fenerbahce, where he wants to become a key instrument in the hands of Obradovic.