What To Expect From Vanderbilt Basketball Star Tyler Tanner In Return Season
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NASHVILLE—Tyler Tanner says that he’s already a significantly better player than he was when he left the floor with his head in his jersey after his infamous missed shot against Nebraska in the NCAA Tournament, but how much better can he be?
Tanner was an All-SEC first team guard a season ago and put himself in position to be a fringe NBA First Round draft pick this cycle, but is opting to return to school in order to improve his draft stock.
If Tanner would have opted to keep his name in the NBA Draft, he would have been a fringe first round draft pick in a historically strong guard class. Instead, he’s opting to go back to college and work to refine his skillset for one more season.
At the very least, Tanner is a projected All-American candidate and a potential lottery pick in the 2027 draft. For now, though, all that matters is that he’s a Vanderbilt Commodore.
"In my opinion,” Former Vanderbilt wing Tyler Nickel said on Wednesday, “Tyler is the best point guard in college basketball.”
Here’s what Tanner gives the program as he returns to school:
How Tanner elevates this Vanderbilt team
Perhaps Vanderbilt guard Ace Glass said it best out of anyone.
“This news turned us from a top 25 team to a Final Four contender, in my opinion,” Glass told Vandy on SI. “I’m super excited for this great upcoming season.”
Without Tanner, Vanderbilt was very likely an NCAA Tournament team and could’ve pushed for the second weekend. It didn’t have quite enough playmaking and scoring on the perimeter to feel confident about that, though.
This Vanderbilt team was always constructed with Tanner in mind, and it becomes significantly more dynamic with his addition. Tanner will be Vanderbilt’s leading scorer, go-to guy down the stretch of games, primary point of attack defender and ballhandler as well as its primary playmaker.
With Tanner’s addition, Vanderbilt big man Bangot Dak is now more dangerous, junior point guard TO Barrett can pick his spots rather than pressing and Glass can be freed up to score it and take some risks defensively.
Perhaps more than all, Tanner can get this group out of buildings and can will it into wins. He’s the true star that Vanderbilt was missing. Now, it’s not missing that.
Where Tanner can improve
Tanner won’t be getting taller, and that will always hurt his draft stock, but he does have the opportunity to make himself a more attractive prospect a year from now if he refines his game.
The areas in which evaluators believe Tanner has room for growth are clearly his frame, his consistency from 3-point range and–to a lesser degree–his in-between game. Tanner could be a more efficient player around the rim and could become a more projectable defender at the next level if he can be more physical at the point of attack.
Tanner shot 34.1% from 3-point range in league play last season after a dismal shooting year as a freshman. It’s not as if he hasn’t proven that he can be an effective shooter, but if he can take a leap next season it will solidify to NBA people that he’s a capable shooter at that level. If Tanner can get to his floater and make them more consistently in 2026-27, he’s got a chance to be one of the most dynamic offensive players in the country.
Even if Tanner doesn’t improve, he’s already an All-SEC guy.
What could Tanner’s numbers look like?
It would be a surprise if Tanner wasn’t the first Vanderbilt player since Scotty Pippen Jr. in 2021-22 to average over 20 points per game. The only difference here? Tanner will win a whole lot more than Pippen Jr. did that season.
Tanner was already high usage a season ago–and could’ve been higher usage than he will be this season because of Duke Miles’ and Frankie Collins’ prolonged absences–but the counting stats don’t matter as much here as the efficiency. Tanner wasn’t inefficient a year ago, but he’s got room to grow in that regard and is likely to after going through the NBA Draft process.
Vanderbilt will rely on Tanner to be one of the best players in the country, and he’s likely to be that.
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Joey Dwyer is the lead writer on Vanderbilt Commodores On SI. He found his first love in college sports at nearby Lipscomb University and decided to make a career of telling its best stories. He got his start doing a Notre Dame basketball podcast from his basement as a 14-year-old during COVID and has since aimed to make that 14-year-old proud. Dwyer has covered Vanderbilt sports for three years and previously worked for 247 Sports and Rivals. He contributes to Seth Davis' Hoops HQ, Basket Under Review and Mainstreet Nashville.
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