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NBA Draft Rumors: Tyler Ulis may have significant hip injury needing surgery

Steven Branscombe-USA TODAY Sports

With the NBA Finals almost having concluded, the 2016 NBA Draft will soon be the primary focus in the basketball world.

For Kentucky guard Tyler Ulis, he's looking to keep defying the odds and hear his name called in the first round of this year's draft, something seemingly impossible to do for a 5-9 guard. It's rare enough to a player of Ulis' stature dominate college hoops the way he did, but some remain skeptical he can translate that into NBA success.

Now, Ulis may be dealing with a significant hip injury that could lead to a surgical procedure eventually being done, according to Basketball Insiders.

Ulis is said to have a pretty significant hip issue, which some believe may require surgery down the line. A medical red flag combined with his size, Ulis could slide deep into the first round or even over into the second depending on how team medical staffs view his situation.

Anytime a prospect is dealing with an injury that may require surgery, that can affect their stock enough that they fall down draft boards and ultimately go later than they should. When you toss in the fact Ulis has a wide draft range between the latter part of the lottery to the end of Round 1, this is not the news Ulis needed to come out just over one week before the draft kicks off.

Hopefully, this is nothing more than a smokescreen someone who really wants Ulis is putting out in hopes the Wildcats star falls to them.