Jaylon Tyson took less NIL to come play for Mark Madsen & Cal men's basketball
Tyson is now looking like he has the potential to be a first round pick in the 2024 NBA draft.
Interesting revelations came from a recent article on CBS Sports. Jaylon Tyson stated he actually took less NIL money to come join the California Golden Bears:
Jaylon Tyson noted he might only be an NBA prospect because he didn't take the highest-dollar offer on the table last year. It wasn't a $2 million deal, but Auburn and Kansas had impressive financial packages for the then-Texas Tech transfer.
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At Cal, Tyson was the piece, not a piece. Madsen armed him with a 30% usage rate and loads of on-ball reps. He's erupted into a legitimate candidate to hear his name in the first round in next June's draft.
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"Cal was probably the least amount of money, but the opportunity, to play for Mark Madsen and that coaching staff, I thought I made the best decision," Tyson said. "Obviously, I did because I'm here today. When I was going through the portal process, I'm glad I had a good circle to tell me that it's not about the money. The money is not the long-term thing. I'm just glad I made the right decision."
With not a ton of offensive weapons on his. rooster, Madsen gave Tyson the ability to cook, and it’s paid off with a higher-profile for the NBA draft. Madsen has parlayed that into major cachet in the transfer portal, being able to sell to prospects like Andrej Stojakovic and Rytis Petraitis that he has the ability to mold pro talent in his system.
Now Tyson is getting all sorts of scouting credit that could land him as a first round draft pick in the 2024 NBA Draft. Here are where the projections land him right now.
The Ringer: 18th, to the Orlando Magic (Comp: Jared Dudley, Ryan Gomes)
The Magic badly need shooting and perimeter creation. Tyson leans more on the creator side of things, but in a more condensed role his shooting could pop as a 6-foot-7 wing who can also handle the ball.
Bleacher Report: 28th, to the Denver Nuggets (Comp: Caleb Martin)
A 30.1% usage on a 13-19 California team does cast a cloud over his statistical production. But the eye test clearly shows a scorer with NBA traits and skills, including 6-foot-7 size, ball-handling for creation/playmaking and tough shotmaking.
Tyson has really made a name for himself at Cal, and his story can be an example of how taking less in the NIL game can pay off in the long run.
Simply outstanding, even when playing out of position and getting defensive attention. Whether or not he goes in the first (because weird things happen during drafts), he's a first-round talent.
He still reminds me of a slightly larger version of Derrick White who I saw play when he was with Buffs. Very crafty. Good court vision. Could do a lot with the ball. Can shoot and create shots. Will develop over time. White did not explode on NBA scene but has progressed nicely over time.