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Cal's Jaylon Tyson Picked 20th By Cleveland In NBA Draft

June 26, 2024
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BERKELEY – California men’s basketball standout Jaylon Tyson was selected by the Cleveland Cavaliers with the 20th overall pick in the first round of the 2024 NBA Draft on Wednesday night.

Tyson becomes the 11th Golden Bear to be picked in the first round of an NBA Draft. He’s the first Cal player to be drafted since Ivan Rabb (35th overall to Orlando, later traded to Memphis) and Jabari Bird (56th overall to Boston) both went in the second round of the 2017 NBA Draft, and he’s the program’s first player taken in the first round since Boston selected Jaylen Brown with the third overall pick in the 2016 NBA Draft.

Tyson watched the draft privately in his hometown of Plano, Texas, surrounded by friends and family.

The 6-foot-7 forward was an All-Pac-12 First-Team selection and a finalist for the Julius Erving Small Forward of the Year Award in his lone season with the Golden Bears in 2023-24. Tyson established himself as one of the nation’s most dynamic collegiate players, as he was one of just two major-conference players to average 19.6 points, 6.8 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game or better. He registered shooting splits of .465/.360/.796 while racking up 17 20-point games and eight double-doubles, five of which were 20-point, 10-rebound performances.

Tyson arrived at Cal as one of the most sought-after players in the 2023 transfer class, and helped reinvigorate the Cal men’s basketball program during head coach Mark Madsen’s first year at the helm. After starting his collegiate career at Texas (2021-22) and playing one season at Texas Tech (2022-23), Tyson finished with career averages of 13.6 points, 5.8 rebounds and 2.2 assists per game, along with a 47% clip from the floor and a 37.2% 3-point field-goal percentage.

Tyson is the fourth Cal player drafted by Cleveland, joining Kevin Johnson (first round, 1987), Jackie Ridgle (third round, 1971) and John Coughran (fifth round, 1973).

The 2024 NBA Draft continues Thursday with television coverage of the second round starting at 1 p.m. PT on ESPN.

California NBA Draft History – First-Round Picks (11)

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Cal's Jaylon Tyson Picked 20th By Cleveland In NBA Draft

10,614 Views | 39 Replies | Last: 4 mo ago by bearister
Eastern Oregon Bear
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9:44p, 6/26/24
"I'm not gonna be in the NBA for 4 years. I'm gonna be in the NBA for 15 years!" I love Jaylon's attitude!
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Golden One
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In reply to Eastern Oregon Bear • 10:44p, 6/26/24
Congratulations to Jaylon! Hope he tears it up in Cleveland.
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philbert
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11:03p, 6/26/24

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brevity
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7:21a, 6/27/24




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Pittstop
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9:23a, 6/27/24
He obviously thinks highly of Madsen. Keeps repeating that he is one of the best coaches in all of college bb. Cal MBB should play that clip for recruits.
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evanluck
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1:15p, 6/27/24
So great to see how the team was gathering to support and cheer him on!

Also really great to have the program be led by a coach that not only understands the value of a family-oriented culture but is also not shy about seizing opportunities to showcase the uniqueness of the program he is building at Cal.

This is an initial culmination of a lot of dreaming, focus and hard work and it was so great that he got to share the joy of the accomplishment with his Cal family. Very happy for Jaylon and can't wait to see him in the NBA!
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HoopDreams
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10:10p, 6/27/24
hooper!


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brevity
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5:49p, 6/30/24
Jaylon Tyson's introduction in Cleveland:



The team's website has an accompanying article, Tyson's First Day in the Land.

"I always thought in the back of my mind I could be an NBA player," said the 6-6, 220-pounder. "I had a lot of confidence in myself. I just knew I had to show it the difference between knowing it and showing it. So, I knew I had to get in the right system with the right coach who really believed in me, and obviously that's why I'm sitting here today."


"(His) dynamic workout really left an impression with us, both character-wise, how he performed on the court, and then (he) just gave us a vision on how we can use him in terms of he's going to elevate people around him," said Cavaliers President of Basketball Operations Koby Altman. "That's the mark of a really good player. He's going to help his teammates.

Tyson will presumably play for the Cavaliers in Summer League. The official schedule shows games against the Magic, Bucks, Warriors, and Lakers. (There will also be a fifth game announced later, based on the league standings.)
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75bear
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8:40a, 7/1/24
Madsen traveled to Plano, Texas to be at Tyson's watch party??? This is all I need to know about Madsen and the future of Cal basketball.

Congrats to Tyson - what a milestone marker, and I can't wait to see what he can accomplish at the highest level.
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01Bear
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In reply to 75bear • 10:10a, 7/1/24
75bear said:
Madsen traveled to Plano, Texas to be at Tyson's watch party??? This is all I need to know about Madsen and the future of Cal basketball.

Congrats to Tyson - what a milestone marker, and I can't wait to see what he can accomplish at the highest level.

Not just traveled to, but was likely invited by Jaylon. That's a very positive sign to me. Madsen knows how to coach up his players and earn their respect.
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Bearly Clad
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9:28a, 7/2/24
Feeling a lot better about Jaylon's landing spot now that Donovan Mitchell re-signed. If they lost him it was gonna get ugly fast in Cleveland
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philbert
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10:59a, 7/3/24

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brevity
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In reply to brevity • 2:42p, 7/5/24
brevity said:
Tyson will presumably play for the Cavaliers in Summer League. The official schedule shows games against the Magic, Bucks, Warriors, and Lakers. (There will also be a fifth game announced later, based on the league standings.)

It's now official. The Cleveland Cavaliers have announced their Summer League roster:



Here's the known schedule, if you wish to see Jaylon Tyson in action:

Friday, 7/12/24

Cavaliers vs. Magic, 1pm PT, NBA TV/ESPN+

Sunday, 7/14/24

Cavaliers vs. Bucks, 12:30pm PT, NBA TV/ESPN+

Wednesday 7/17/24

Cavaliers vs. Warriors, 7pm PT, NBA TV/ESPN+

Thursday 7/18/24

Cavaliers vs. Lakers, 6pm PT, ESPN/ESPN+

The top 4 teams in the standings enter a playoff to determine a champion. For the record, Cleveland won the Summer League title last year.

The other 26 teams are paired off to play a 5th game on Saturday 7/20 or Sunday 7/21.
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philbert
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8:08p, 7/12/24
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HoopDreams
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8:01p, 7/13/24
watched part of this game

JT was the best player for Cleveland

Watch him on this play ... I'm sure his coach liked his everything about JT on this play...



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evanluck
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In reply to HoopDreams • 3:34p, 7/14/24
Lots of great maturity, patience and basketball IQ on display in this play. Drives to collapse the defense, kicks out to a potential shooter, gets to a spot behind the arc where he can be a threat and then makes the extra pass for an easy open 3 as the defense is running around trying to keep up with the ball movement.

Great to see him standing out in summer league!
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bearsandgiants
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In reply to evanluck • 3:36p, 7/14/24
evanluck said:
Lots of great maturity, patience and basketball IQ on display in this play. Drives to collapse the defense, kicks out to a potential shooter, gets to a spot behind the arc where he can be a threat and then makes the extra pass for an easy open 3 as the defense is running around trying to keep up with the ball movement.

Great to see him standing out in summer league!


Still curious how only one guy picks up these skills after a year of instruction. Was any of it Madsen? This season will tell, perhaps.
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75bear
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7:55p, 7/14/24
Another solid performance by Jaylon today!
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philbert
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9:03p, 7/14/24

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HoopDreams
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11:13p, 7/14/24
Watched this game ... JT also getting it done on defense


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evanluck
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In reply to bearsandgiants • 8:30p, 7/15/24
bearsandgiants said:
evanluck said:
Lots of great maturity, patience and basketball IQ on display in this play. Drives to collapse the defense, kicks out to a potential shooter, gets to a spot behind the arc where he can be a threat and then makes the extra pass for an easy open 3 as the defense is running around trying to keep up with the ball movement.

Great to see him standing out in summer league!


Still curious how only one guy picks up these skills after a year of instruction. Was any of it Madsen? This season will tell, perhaps.
Well there is the development part of the program which will be hard to assess until we see players stay over multiple years. And then there is the promotion/recruiting part which under Madsen is actively looking to showcase Tyson's successes ascending to a first round draft pick and seemingly showing already that he has enough talent and poise to be an immediate contributor at the NBA level.
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barsad
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In reply to evanluck • 12:07a, 7/18/24
I think Jaylon came to Cal with all the boxes already checked for the NBA… I get that Mad Dog has to use him as a recruiting tool but let's not pretend one year of college instruction gets you to the draft. Rabb, Brown and Tyson all were headed there already.
Is there anyone on the 2024-25 roster who is NBA material? I'd say no looking at the roster today, but I sure hope I'm wrong.
Glad to see Tyson is impressing in the Summer League, keep up the momentum JT!
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HoopDreams
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In reply to barsad • 7:16a, 7/18/24
Disagree regarding Tyson

Tyson could have stayed at TT or gone to some other good teams, and was offered bigger NIL to do so

He came to Cal because he needed a type of coach that would support him in the right way after his bad experience at TT

When he got here, he played in a pro style system, was our go to player, played a different role than he would have at those other schools and developed his game including having the ball in his hands much more

He even played backup PG on his NBA Summer team (I'm not saying he will play any 1 in the NBA but it shows he developed those ball handling, passing and vision skills at Cal to the point that his coach saw it)

JT's team played the Warriors yesterday ( Cleveland played terrible and it was JT's worst showing) but he seems like a good player for the Warriors in the future

barsad said:
I think Jaylon came to Cal with all the boxes already checked for the NBA… I get that Mad Dog has to use him as a recruiting tool but let's not pretend one year of college instruction gets you to the draft. Rabb, Brown and Tyson all were headed there already.
Is there anyone on the 2024-25 roster who is NBA material? I'd say no looking at the roster today, but I sure hope I'm wrong.
Glad to see Tyson is impressing in the Summer League, keep up the momentum JT!
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SFCALBear72
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7:35a, 7/18/24
Cavaliers vs. Lakers tonight at 6 pm PT on ESPN.
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01Bear
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In reply to HoopDreams • 11:55a, 7/18/24
HoopDreams said:
Disagree regarding Tyson

Tyson could have stayed at TT or gone to some other good teams, and was offered bigger NIL to do so

He came to Cal because he needed a type of coach that would support him in the right way after his bad experience at TT

When he got here, he played in a pro style system, was our go to player, played a different role than he would have at those other schools and developed his game including having the ball in his hands much more

He even played backup PG on his NBA Summer team (I'm not saying he will play any 1 in the NBA but it shows he developed those ball handling, passing and vision skills at Cal to the point that his coach saw it)

JT's team played the Warriors yesterday ( Cleveland played terrible and it was JT's worst showing) but he seems like a good player for the Warriors in the future

barsad said:
I think Jaylon came to Cal with all the boxes already checked for the NBA… I get that Mad Dog has to use him as a recruiting tool but let's not pretend one year of college instruction gets you to the draft. Rabb, Brown and Tyson all were headed there already.
Is there anyone on the 2024-25 roster who is NBA material? I'd say no looking at the roster today, but I sure hope I'm wrong.
Glad to see Tyson is impressing in the Summer League, keep up the momentum JT!

Agreed. Also, look at Jaylon's stats before he got to Cal; they weren't great. NBA scouts didn't include him on their draft boards at the beginning of the year. But because Jaylon was able to develop his all around game under Madsen, he became a first round draft pick. This isn't to slight Jaylon in any way. He worked hard and developed his game at Cal. He showed that he's capable of growth, being coached, and that he has NBA talent.

I'm stoked for Jaylon. I'm sure he'll have a long career in the NBA. He'll create tons of fond memories for fans in Cleveland as he did in Berkeley with his play and willingness to interact with fans.

Good luck, Jaylon!
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concernedparent
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In reply to 01Bear • 2:16p, 7/18/24
01Bear said:
HoopDreams said:
Disagree regarding Tyson

Tyson could have stayed at TT or gone to some other good teams, and was offered bigger NIL to do so

He came to Cal because he needed a type of coach that would support him in the right way after his bad experience at TT

When he got here, he played in a pro style system, was our go to player, played a different role than he would have at those other schools and developed his game including having the ball in his hands much more

He even played backup PG on his NBA Summer team (I'm not saying he will play any 1 in the NBA but it shows he developed those ball handling, passing and vision skills at Cal to the point that his coach saw it)

JT's team played the Warriors yesterday ( Cleveland played terrible and it was JT's worst showing) but he seems like a good player for the Warriors in the future

barsad said:
I think Jaylon came to Cal with all the boxes already checked for the NBA… I get that Mad Dog has to use him as a recruiting tool but let's not pretend one year of college instruction gets you to the draft. Rabb, Brown and Tyson all were headed there already.
Is there anyone on the 2024-25 roster who is NBA material? I'd say no looking at the roster today, but I sure hope I'm wrong.
Glad to see Tyson is impressing in the Summer League, keep up the momentum JT!

Agreed. Also, look at Jaylon's stats before he got to Cal; they weren't great. NBA scouts didn't include him on their draft boards at the beginning of the year. But because Jaylon was able to develop his all around game under Madsen, he became a first round draft pick. This isn't to slight Jaylon in any way. He worked hard and developed his game at Cal. He showed that he's capable of growth, being coached, and that he has NBA talent.

I'm stoked for Jaylon. I'm sure he'll have a long career in the NBA. He'll create tons of fond memories for fans in Cleveland as he did in Berkeley with his play and willingness to interact with fans.

Good luck, Jaylon!
It's both. His efficiency numbers at Texas Tech were not just great, they were outstanding, which is why he became such a coveted transfer prospect. He needed an opportunity to show he could still maintain decent efficiency at a much higher volume, which he did.
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evanluck
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In reply to barsad • 2:22p, 7/18/24
barsad said:
I think Jaylon came to Cal with all the boxes already checked for the NBA… I get that Mad Dog has to use him as a recruiting tool but let's not pretend one year of college instruction gets you to the draft. Rabb, Brown and Tyson all were headed there already.
Is there anyone on the 2024-25 roster who is NBA material? I'd say no looking at the roster today, but I sure hope I'm wrong.
Glad to see Tyson is impressing in the Summer League, keep up the momentum JT!
I think how much he actually developed is disputable. What is not disputable was that at Cal he found an environment and a coach that allowed him to showcase his abilities. You may think that he had boxes checked, and he may have but what is clear is that no one knew he checked the boxes until he showed what he was really capable of playing under Madsen at Cal.
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KenBurnski
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6:49p, 7/18/24
You can see Jaylon against Bronny right now on ESPN. He's got like 6 assists early in the second quarter and is throwing some dimes.
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philbert
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8:36p, 7/18/24

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89Bear
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In reply to philbert • 8:54p, 7/18/24
What a stud!!!
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HoopDreams
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10:53p, 7/18/24

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barsad
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In reply to HoopDreams • 1:43p, 7/19/24
One away from the first triple-double in Las Vegas SL history! Next Cavs game is 5 pm Sat, I am tuning in. Are we thinking he will definitely make the roster at the beginning of the season, or will he have to wait?
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philbert
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In reply to barsad • 1:48p, 7/19/24
barsad said:
One away from the first triple-double in Las Vegas SL history! Next Cavs game is 5 pm Sat, I am tuning in. Are we thinking he will definitely make the roster at the beginning of the season, or will he have to wait?
He will be on the roster for sure.
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HoopDreams
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4:33p, 7/19/24
Amazing thing is he never played point before Cal

Then in NBA summer games he played starting 3 and backup 1

Then last game it looked like he was the starting 1

Is it possible he gets backup pg minutes at Cleveland?
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calbearinamaze
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10:23a, 7/20/24
Jaylon Tyson is LEGIT (film breakdown) - Cleveland Cavaliers news, Cavs Summer League (youtube.com)



GO BEARS!!!
If you believe in forever
Then life is just a one-night stand
If there's a rock and roll heaven
Well you know they've got a hell of a band
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