CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Cavs president of basketball operations Koby Altman made it clear at his end-of-season press conference that it was not in the plan to break up the team’s Core Four. If that holds true during the offseason, the Cavs need to improve around the margins, and a player like California’s Jaylon Tyson would be an ideal fit with the No. 20 overall selection in Wednesday’s draft.
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Tyson is a 6-foot-6, 218-pound wing coming off a breakout junior season that displayed all of the skills the Cavs are looking to add at the small forward position. The Cavs aren’t the only team eyeing Tyson, as he’s reportedly worked out with 10 or more teams ahead of the draft.
After playing three years in college at three different universities, Tyson needed to learn his game inside and out to understand how he could contribute that would translate to the next level. He is a player known for creating his own look, and his athleticism plays a factor at the rim on both sides of the ball, while his length and strength benefit his ability to guard opposing wings. But his added role of being a ball handler at California allowed Tyson to showcase his ability in the pick and roll as well as a facilitator.
In his final season on the college scene, Tyson averaged 19.6 points per game, 6.8 rebounds, 3.5 assists, and 1.2 steals. Over his final two seasons, where he played in all 62 games, he shot 47.4% from the field and 38.1% from beyond the arc.
Adding another capable ball handler to the Cavs’ second unit who can play alongside Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley while creating his own shot and using the pick and roll that the Cavs’ two big men, especially Allen, are successful in would pose to be dangerous. Not to mention Tyson’s added athletic talents to stay in front of opposing offenses and get out in transition.
New head coach Kenny Atkinson is known for his player development prowess, and the opportunity to mold Tyson, who has multiple facets to his game that can be useful for the Cavs, is something that could catch the eye of the front office as draft night approaches.
There are also intangibles you cannot teach, and dealing with adversity is one of them. From his college experience, adversity isn’t uncommon for Tyson.
He began his collegiate career at Texas and didn’t receive the playing time he was expecting after being a four-star recruit from John Paul II High School in Plano, Texas, and leading his team to a state championship in his junior year. Tyson played just eight games his freshman year and averaged around seven minutes a game.
Tyson decided to transfer to Texas Tech, where he had originally committed before flipping to Texas. Although he saw more playing time and started in all 31 games of his sophomore season, nothing could have prepared him for his experience under then-head coach Mark Adams, who resigned in March 2023 after making a racially insensitive comment.
“Last year, I was racially discriminated against on multiple occasions. I was called a slave, and that Mark Adams was my master,” Tyson told Sports Illustrated. “When he said that, I kind of froze and went down a dark path in my life that I had never [experienced] before. It was very embarrassing for me and my family to have to go through this process.”
Tyson transferred again and originally had his waiver for immediate eligibility denied, but the decision was reversed after California appealed the ruling.
The belief from the Golden Bears’ coaching staff allowed Tyson to play free, and he credits the California staff for his growth in his junior season. The head coach at California was Mark Madsen, who was also a player development coach and assistant coach under the Los Angeles Lakers after being the head coach of the Lakers’ D-League team. The instruction from a former NBA coach should help Tyson understand how his game can convert to the NBA stage. Atkinson is known to have a similar style of coaching to Madsen, prioritizing the development of his players and helping them grow in the league, making Tyson a viable candidate for Atkinson and the Cavs’ roster.
To prepare for the next stage of his career, Tyson is working out at Impact Basketball in Las Vegas with Joe Abunassar. Players like Kevin Garnett, Allen Iverson, and Ty Lue have worked out with Impact Basketball ahead of or during their successful careers.
But Tyson has mentioned modeling his game after Josh Hart and Caleb Martin because he’s willing to do the dirty work and anything to help whichever team he ends up on win.
Whether it’s the adversity that will mentally prepare him for the NBA or the offensive threat that can create for himself and others, Tyson is a player who could fare well from the Cavs’ system and is intriguing for their supposed game plan for the coming season.
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