How Jaylon Tyson managed to win the hearts of the Cavs – Terry Pluto

CLEVELAND, Ohio – I hope he makes it.

That’s what I kept thinking as I listened to Cavs first-round pick Jaylon Tyson during his introductory press conference Thursday.

He will be part of the team. As the 20th pick in the 2024 draft, he will sign a four-year, $16 million contract with the first two seasons guaranteed. It’s part of the NBA’s labor agreement.

I hope Tyson manages to become a useful player on a team that should make the playoffs for several seasons. That said, the Cavs aren’t counting on Tyson to be a major factor this season.

“He has a long runway,” president Koby Altman said, meaning Tyson has time to develop.

Meanwhile, an excited Tyson talks about making the NBA All-Rookie Team and being the best rookie defender.

“I’ll do whatever they want me to do,” said Tyson, who impressed the Cavs by showing up to practice while suffering from back spasms.

The mystery game

Altman talked about “mystery games” through which agents plan workouts for prospects. Tyson managed to fit as many of these sessions into his schedule as possible.

“There was no mystery with Jaylon,” Altman said. “He said, ‘I’m here, I’m going to show you what I have to offer.’ That made a big impression.”

I asked Tyson, “How many teams have you worked for?”

“Twelve,” he said. “Nothing was going to stop me from training (for the Cavs), even if they cut my legs off.”

Altman was full of praise for Tyson, who has a sincere and endearing personality.

“Jaylon had a dynamic practice that really left an impression on us — from a character standpoint and his performance on the court,” Altman said. “He gave us a vision for how we can use him and how he’s going to elevate the people around him. It wasn’t just about scoring. It was offensive rebounds. It was drive-and-kick (passes). It was about getting guys to open fire … and he’s such a high-character person.”

How he got here

Tyson, 21, played three years at three different universities. In the modern world of basketball, not only do players evolve, but so do coaches. Tyson called it his “journey.”

A real journey…

1. An All-State player at Texas and ranked No. 34 nationally among high school players, Tyson committed to play for coach Chris Beard at Texas Tech. He never officially signed with Texas Tech.

2. Shortly after making the verbal commitment to Texas Tech, Tyson saw Beard leave to become head coach at Texas. So Tyson followed Beard to Texas.

3. Tyson played little at Texas, then transferred to Texas Tech midway through his freshman season.

4. At Texas Tech, coach Mark Adams resigned after making racially insensitive remarks during Tyson’s sophomore season.

5. Tyson was one of six players to leave Texas Tech following this turmoil. One of them was Fardaws Aimaq, who previously played at Utah Valley for coach Mark Madsen.

6. Madsen was hired as California’s new head coach. Aimaq said Madsen was a great guy — exactly what they needed after all the turmoil at Texas Tech.

7. Both players transferred to California, which was 3-29 (2-18 in the PAC-12) the previous season. Led by Tyson and Aimaq, the Golden Bears were 13-19 and a respectable 9-11 in the PAC 12. It was their most conference wins in seven seasons.

The escape

A former NBA player, Madsen saw professional potential in the 6-foot-6 Tyson. The coach sensed a young man who needed encouragement and confidence. Madsen put the ball in Tyson’s hands. He responded by averaging 19.6 points, 6.8 rebounds and 3.5 assists.

“I knew I was going to have a breakout year,” Tyson said. “But there’s a difference between knowing it and showing it.”

Tyson showed a lot.

“He’s good enough that we can put him on an NBA court right now if we need to,” Altman said.

Altman admitted that Tyson wasn’t on any NBA prospect lists after his sophomore season at Texas Tech. He averaged 11 points and 6.1 rebounds while shooting 48 percent from the field and 40 percent from three-point range.

“It’s not like we started (with Tyson) as someone we had to see,” Altman said. “But he continued to put up those numbers. We had to go see him. We ended up seeing him in person. »

The Cavs are always looking for “wing players,” those tall shooting guards/small forwards ranging from 6-foot-6 to 6-foot-8. They loved his constant effort on the field and his optimistic approach to his teammates and coaches.

“I’m not a generational player,” Tyson said. “I’ve had to work for everything I’ve gotten.”