The Cleveland Cavaliers are coming off an outstanding season.
However, that wasn’t necessarily helpful for their rookie.
They took Jaylon Tyson with the No. 20 pick out of California, and he looked like an NBA-ready player.
Then again, you just can’t take any chances or afford to let a young player grow through his mistakes when you’re playing like a championship contender.
That’s why Tyson didn’t get much of a chance to showcase his skills.
Even so, when asked about his first year in the league, the young forward had nothing but positive things to say:
“I think my rookie season went really well. Not in terms of playing time. Obviously, I didn’t get the most opportunity in the world,” Tyson said. “But I did get some opportunity and I thought it went really well. Just the amount of things that I learned this year. When I go back and look at it, I know it’s going to suit me well down my career.”
Despite the limited chances, Tyson made a strong impression.
He almost recorded a triple-double in his first start, and he proved to be ready for the occasion every single time his number was called.
Now, the Cavaliers enter the offseason in a rather complicated situation.
They don’t have much money to spend in free agency, and unless they make some salary-dumping moves, they might not be able to retain their own free agents.
That means they won’t be able to bring many reinforcements outside from the NBA Draft or some trades.
That leaves the door wide open for Tyson to make a much bigger impact in his sophomore season.
He proved that he can hold his own on defense against both forward spots and some guards as well, and he’s a very intelligent player with a high basketball IQ who can contribute to multiple aspects of the game.
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