Draft Position: 1st Round, No. 20 overall
Every year, it seems like NBA teams pass on really good basketball players simply because of their age or time spent in college. We saw this last year when the Miami Heat were able to get 22-year-old Jaime Jaquez Jr. at No. 18 and 23-year-old Trayce Jackson-Davis fell all the way to the Golden State Warriors at No. 57.
This season, Jaylon Tyson already looks like the guy teams probably overthought.
He will be 22 in December and spent three years in college, ending up as the offensive focal point at California last year. After looking like one of the best players at summer league, his strong play has carried into the preseason.
In a pair of contests, Tyson has flashed his overall game, averaging 9.5 points on 53.8 percent shooting while chipping in 6.5 rebounds, 2.0 assists, 1.0 steals and 0.5 blocks in 20.3 minutes. He can serve as a primary scorer or facilitator, has knocked down in-your-face threes and showcased his ability as a cutter, something he didn’t get the opportunity to do much last year.
It’s his versatility that should earn the 6’6″ Tyson a spot in the Cleveland Cavaliers’ rotation immediately, joining players like Caris LeVert, Isaac Okoro and Georges Niang off the bench.
