Jim Boeheim Calls Tom Crean an Idiot for Ripping Tyler Lydon's NBA Potential

Syracuse Orange head basketball coach Jim Boeheim did not take kindly to former Indiana coach Tom Crean criticizing Tyler Lydon's NBA prospects.

"He's an idiot," Boeheim said Thursday, per Chris Carlson of Syracuse.com. "He said he's not a good shooter. Freshman, sophomore year he shoots 40 percent from 3. That's pretty good for a young player.

"I think he had the best shooting statistics at the combine, I think, of all the big guys," Boeheim continued. "He shoots it. That's what he does. It just shows the ignorance and not doing the work, the research, the background check. He's athletic and can do a lot of other things but he can really shoot."

Carlson noted Crean questioned Lydon's shooting and defensive abilities as a potential stretch 4 at the NBA level, saying, "I don't think he's that good."

According to Carlson, Crean's comments came on The Vertical's NBA draft livestream.

Boeheim was adamant the 6'9" Lydon impressed at the combine with his shooting touch, and NBA.com notes he hit at least 60 percent of his shots in all but one of the 10 shooting stations. He also drilled 39.8 percent of the three-pointers he attempted during his two years at Syracuse.

Despite Crean's criticism, Lydon was good enough for the Denver Nuggets, who traded for him after the Utah Jazz selected him with the No. 24 overall pick.

Lydon's touch from the outside helped him average 13.2 points per game with the Orange this past season, and Jonathan Wasserman of Bleacher Report praised his release when breaking into open space:

Lydon also averaged 7.4 rebounds a game in his collegiate career and will look to translate his success on the boards and beyond the arc to the NBA level, even if Crean doesn't believe he can.