Cavaliers' Rookie Unveils Intriguing NBA Comparison For Himself

Cleveland Cavaliers rookie Jaylon Tyson has revealed a rather interesting NBA comparison for himself going into his first season.

Jaylon Tyson of the Cleveland Cavaliers drives past Moses Brown at the Thomas & Mack Center. / Candice Ward/Getty Images

The Cleveland Cavaliers didn't make any notable additions to their roster via trades or free agency, but they did select Jaylon Tyson with the 20th overall pick of the NBA Draft.

Given that the Cavaliers are in dire need of a versatile swingman who can defend some of the bigger wings in the Eastern Conference, the 6-foot-6 Tyson could fill a significant role for the team.

The University of California product was interviewed at Cleveland's media day on Monday, and he offered a couple of rather interesting NBA comparisons for himself: Josh Hart and Caleb Martin.

Cavaliers rookie Jaylon Tyson speaks about his game and who he models it around.

“Josh Hart, a winner. Caleb Martin.” pic.twitter.com/5UAJ2i8nLZ

— ¹⁰ (@HoodiGarland) September 30, 2024

Hart and Martin are both terrific role players, and most importantly, they are both good, versatile defenders, a quality on which Tyson prides himself.

Tyson is coming off of a 2023-24 campaign at California in which he averaged 19.6 points, 6.8 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 1.2 steals over 34.3 minutes per game on 46.5/36.0/79.6 shooting splits.

The 21-year-old actually began his collegiate career at Texas and spent one season with the Longhorns before transferring to Texas Tech. He began developing as a talent with the Red Raiders, registering 10.7 points, 6.1 boards and 1.4 steals across 28.9 minutes a night while shooting 48.3 percent from the floor and 40.2 percent from three-point range.

Tyson then made his way to the Golden Bears.

The Cavs could ultimately utilize Tyson in a major way this coming season, depending upon how quickly he adjusts to life in the NBA, of course.

We'll see how quickly Tyson can ingratiate himself to the fans in Cleveland.