Scouting Report -- UNITED STATES, 6'2 BULLS CENTER Tyler Lawson

[Nyx 68]

 

 

      "Well, some exciting news tonight, Jeffrey, with newly signed centreman Tyler Lawson joining the Houston Bulls -- I'm with Jeffrey Douglas and I'm Martin Prince," he started with a large smile facing the camera for the live segment of a popular sports news hourly show before turning back to his co-host, "I'm sure we've all heard the story of Tyler Lawson, haven't we? Social media sensation who went down earlier this year with a gut-wrenching injury with the UCLA Bruins, really, it was a tragic and horrible, horrible injury for a guy we were all sure was going to get drafted to the VHL."

 

 

       "Oh, certainly, Martin - it's safe to say that he was a lock before that dreadful MCL tear he got, really tough injury to come back from, that it is, but two games in and it's safe to say he's on a mission to prove everyone wrong -- two goals in two games, he is off to a strong start if I've ever seen one."

 

 

      "Most definitely, Jeff, it's easy to see why he was so highly touted as a prospect during his collegiate days -- one thing I did notice out there is he does seem significantly slower than he did back at UCLA, though that's to be expected after such an injury. Sources tell us that he is completely healed and his injury isn't plaguing him any longer, but dare I say it looks almost as if he's scared to re-injure his MCL despite still playing with the ferocity we know him to play with?"

 

 

      "That definitely seems to be a concern of his, he is playing at a pace that is historically one of his slowest yet, I'll even go as far as to say he played at a quicker level in high school."

 

 

      "Right, right, well, for the few who are unaware, at this point of the season every year, we tend to start breaking down the upcoming talents and we introduce a new scouting profile for top guys once a week, and with this guy," Martin exclaimed, pointing at a backdrop image of Lawson, "Well, we're going to base a scouting profile off of what little footage we do have -- we managed to snatch some exclusive practice footage as well as the footage compiled from his two games in order to compile a set of strengths and weaknesses for the centreman. I think we've spent enough time dodging the subject," He nodded, shuffling some papers in front of him, "so let's just go ahead and get started, shall we?"

 

 

  Tyler Lawson

Houston Bulls 

Center

6'2  || 201 lbs

RH

 

STRENGTHS +

 

Heavy believer in self-betterment. He often indulges in various forms of yoga, self-care, as well as cryotherapy to take the best care of his body possible. He eats healthy and gets a good night's sleep, always. 

 

Has shown potential to be a star. He loves flashy play and big goals, which can be a turn-on or a turn-off depending on how you look at it. Loves to put on a show, which has given him a large adoring fanbase to this point in his career.

 

Lawson has showed significant skill at deking (DK) during his short tenure in the VHML, and it comes as no surprise as it was an elite skill of his back when fans were watching the talent at UCLA. He's fairly elite for a minor leaguer, and even more so than players at such an early stage of development like himself. He shows extraodinary promise and potential to grow this skill further.

 

Lawson has shown lots of talent with his slap shot (SS) - it's become a bit of a go-to move for him whenever he has possession of the puck. When he's on, you can almost just expect him to make just about any slap shot. Shows extreme talent and shines when put in a position to put his slap shot on display. Shows promise in further improving this talent down the road.

 

Likewise, his wrist shot (WS) is just as elite, if not slightly worse. Again, put him in position while he's on a roll, and he will make the shot. Incredible form and very beautiful and almost elegant to watch the way his shots on goal fly through the air. Incredible shotmaker.

 

His offensive vision (OV) has been something to behold as he always seems to have his head up, looking for the next play and to get his teammates involved [granted a position he is unable to score, of course]. Tyler has a large talent for analyzing the rink, almost if he had a bird's eye view, watching the whole thing from above at all times. Almost like magic at times. 

 

Pretty agile guy out there, especially considering how he went down at UCLA with a tear in his MCL. Still manages to push through regardless, and loves to use his speed (SP) to his advantage when he can. Much prefers to sling a shot into goal if he can, or set up a pass leading to one, but he can use his feet to make space if need be.

 

Stick handling (SH) is something he's been practicing since he was young. His father, a wealthy man who learned business in college while on a hockey scholarship himself, always tried to get Tyler involved with the sport of hockey. It quickly became his first love, and he hasn't put down a stick since. He's been working at his stick skill since elementary, so needless to say, he's pretty talented in that regard.

 

WEAKNESSES -

 

Truth be told? Everything else. Granted, he's been in this league for all of - what, a couple days? He will have lots of time to develop other aspects of his game - after all, that IS what the minor league system was designed for. However, it's been reported that even though he completely lacks any defensive coverage (DC) at the moment, it remains a key point of focus for him going forward - and he's very much so excited to improve in that regard.

 

A big point of contention that scouts have feared as they look into Tyler Lawson is his attitude. He has come off as a bit of a, well, fiery hot-head - and often can seem condescending and snobbish even if only by complete accident. Perhaps because of his wealthy upbringing, he often subconsciously believes that he is better than those around him, which screams a big resounding 'no' when it comes to scouting talent. However, surprisingly, he seems to always get along well with his teammates despite his personality flaws. Wow.

 

Alongside his defensive coverage, he really hopes to improve upon (despite his current inepitude and lack of skill in this regard) his poke checking (PC), something that he's refused to do up 'til this point due to greed and always seeking out goals. Now, making the minor leagues, he's finally agreed to play the game the right way and play by the rules, and so he has to erase his bad habits and learn how to properly poke check, or how to properly play defensive cover now that his opponents are tougher than ever. 

 

Some may deem this a bit, err, 'too soon' given how huge it's impact was on his career thus far - very damaging, of course, but a big question with Tyler is his durability. Given his MCL tear at UCLA, and a few records for minor injuries back in high school, it's very worrying whether or not Tyler will stay healthy enough to develop in this league. Granted, he seems very eager to be back playing the sport he loves - and I'm sure he won't let anything (including injuries) get in his way.

 

As for the rest of Lawson's skills, he'll improve upon them one day for sure - however, they remain at the back of his mind as he's decided to chase other avenues.

 

 

"Well, ah, that's Tyler Lawson for you. A load of talent with a load of weaknesses - that'll do it, yeah. Looking forward to see what he does in his career, we're going to look at some more highlights before we pass the show on to our partner . . . " The show drowned on and on, before Tyler turned off the TV, refusing to watch to rest of the broadcast.

 

 

"They really think I'm that bad at defense? . . . "

 

 

"Am I . . . bad at defense?"

[tcookie 927]

This is great, well done!