NBA Draft: Atlanta Hawks Select Oregon’s Tyler Dorsey in Second Round

Oregon’s Tyler Dorsey was selected by the Atlanta Hawks in the second round of the 2017 NBA Draft. He was the 41st overall pick from the Barclays Center in Brooklyn on Thursday evening.

Mr. March will be a welcomed addition to the Hawk roster. They currently have a ton of opportunity for offensive players. Kent Bazemore, Thabo Sefalosha and Tim Hardaway Jr. will not scare Dorsey. He will find a consistent role. This is a great pick.

“They might let Hardaway walk after this pick,” NBA analyst Kenny Smith.

A few months ago, most believed Dorsey would be heading back to school for his junior season. However, eight straight postseason games of 20 points or more, including leading the NCAA Tournament in scoring, changed his path slightly.

Statistically, Dorsey averaged 14.1 PPG, 3.9 RPG, 1.8 APG and 0.8 SPG for his two years at Oregon. He shot 42 percent (88-for-208) from 3-point territory in 2016-17, alongside a robust 51 percent from the field. Not to mention, TD was a solid 76 percent free throw shooter last season.

Dorsey leaves the program after scoring 1,055 career points for the Ducks. He helped Oregon land a No. 1 seed in the 2016 NCAA Tournament. Not to mention, he was the catalyst for UO’s first Final Four appearance in 77 years. Dorsey never lost a home game (35-0) from Matthew Knight Arena during his brief Oregon career.

Photo by Mike Lawrie/Getty Images

“Tyler is the quiet assassin. He doesn’t talk smack, he just shows his game,” said teammate Jordan Bell.

Dorsey tied his career-high with 27 points against No. 1 Kansas in Kansas City. An ecstatic Dorsey addressed the situation after the Ducks’ massive Elite Eight victory.

He was the first Duck to record 20 points or more in their first fives games of the tournament during an individual season. Dorsey averaged 23 points per game during the final eight games of his impressive campaign.

“I wasn’t interested in my draft stock during the process of that. I was just focused on winning,” Dorsey stated. “I took care of that after the season. During that run (NCAA Tournament), I wasn’t looking at that at all. They watch a lot of our games.”

Prior to the draft, the Pasadena native worked out for 12 teams, including the Indiana Pacers, Toronto Raptors, New York Knicks, Orlando Magic, Brooklyn Nets, Boston Celtics, Milwaukee Bucks, Toronto Raptors, Los Angeles Lakers, Washington Wizards, Philadelphia 76ers, Portland Trail Blazers and the Sacramento Kings. Dorsey drew interest from half the league.

We wish Tyler nothing but the best at the next level! It was a pleasure watching him.

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