Jeremy Tyler May Need To Work On His Skills With The Media

Jeremy Tyler, a 2011 NBA Draft prospect and player written extensively about at Ridiculous Upside in the past, had a workout with the Portland Trail Blazers on Thursday.

The portion of the workout available online showed Tyler's extended range and a decent work ethic, but the 19-year-old struggled when meeting with the media afterward. Specifically when the questions turned to his familiarity with Blazers head coach Nate McMillan.

After being asked if he'd crossed paths with the Blazers coach, Tyler responded "Nate McMillan? No, what college is that?"

When the reporter responded that he's the coach of the Blazers, Tyler succinctly said "Oh, I'm tripping!" before acknowledging that he saw the coach at the NBA Combine and on TV many times, but he's pretty excited to meet McMillan.

Ben Golliver from Blazersedge did find Tyler an out:

In Tyler's defense, he was speaking after a workout that left him exhausted and he said he had recently made two cross-country trips for workouts. Then again, McMillan was present this morning for the workout, shook hands and briefly chatted with the prospects afterwards and was answering questions roughly 30 feet away from Tyler when this exchange occurred.

It's not a deal breaker, of course, but it doesn't look good either.