[The following scouting report is part of a series on potential 2024 draft prospects from Sports Business Classroom alumni.]

Jaylon Tyson
Frame: 6’6″, 218 lbs
Position: Forward
Team: California Golden Bears
2024 Draft Age: 21
Stats via www.sports-reference.com and www.barttorvik.com

 Offense

Tyson is a versatile three-level scorer who can make tough contested shots and create for others. He can score in many ways, such as pull-up jumpers, beating guys off the dribble, turnarounds, post-ups, isos and transition attacks. Tyson makes difficult shots look easy, like off-the-dribble threes, step-backs and spot-ups (36 percent on 4.5 attempts). Only half of his threes were assisted, showing his off-the-dribble shooting prowess. He can post mismatches and likes to get to his spin move to his right side in the post. Tyson is also comfortable shooting from midrange and likes to get to his turnaround when walled off from the rim (39.8 percent on non-rim two-point attempts). 

Tyson does not need a screen to be able to get by his man, using his quickness, physicality, footwork and herky-jerky movements to get by his man, often finishing through contact (57.6 percent at the rim) and drawing fouls (79.6 percent on 4.6 attempts per game). He was asked to play point a lot of point guard at Cal, and his drives and shooting ability opened his floor game (3.5 assists per game). He is a good pick-and-roll passer and often draws two to the ball, leaving a teammate open in the corner. 

Defenses often loaded up on Tyson, and he would still find a way to get his own. His confidence rarely waned if he had a rough shooting half, and he’d stay aggressive until he found his rhythm. He reacts to what the defense gives him and can turn into a facilitator from a bucket-getter on the fly. Tyson is active on the offensive glass; he follows his and his teammate’s misses for put-backs and kickouts (1.6 offensive rebounds per game). He is an above-average ball handler with a tight crossover, hesitation dribbles and a change of pace. Tyson has good deceleration and uses his strong frame to absorb contact and push defenders off their spots.

Tyson settled for too many tough contested shots when he could have got to the basket or kept the ball moving. He took many hero shots, but to be fair, he had to bail out his team often and take a lot of end-of-the-shot clock shots. Tyson can be a little sloppy with the ball, forcing a pass when it’s not there or being overly aggressive or out of control (3.1 turnovers per game), albeit on high usage (30.1 percent). He has a high-volume shooting game that may not translate to the next level; he must show that he can scale down and remain effective.

Defense

Tyson is quick and sturdy enough to guard multiple positions and get out in passing lanes. He has solid hands (1.2 steals) and is a solid rebounder for his position (6.8 per game), where he can grab the board and push the pace. Tyson has a solid frame and can hold his own against bigger players in the post.

Tyson only sometimes puts effort into his rotations and close-outs. Too often, he is late to contest a three or lets his man blow by him too easily, causing the defense to break down. He can lose focus off the ball and let his man open for a three or a cut to the basket. His effort can sometimes be lackadaisical on the defensive end, not fighting through screens, recovering without urgency, or just getting caught ball-watching. This might be due to how much energy he has to expend on the opposite end, but it is not an excuse for poor effort. Tyson is not very laterally quick and can lose opponents on off-ball movement and screens.

Looking Ahead

Teams will value Tyson’s versatility and the Swiss Army Knife qualities. He was miscast as a high-usage player who had to initiate much of the offense. These reps will help him be more comfortable as a secondary playmaker at the next level. He showed a lot of growth from his first two years, when he was an off-ball player, to his third year, when he was primarily on the ball. 

Tyson will have to scale back on his usage and heavy diet of pull-up jumpers. However, this should also help his energy and effort levels on the defensive end, which is his biggest question mark. He should be able to contribute to a team immediately with his shooting ability, aggressiveness and playmaking, which all seem translatable to the next level. Tyson projects as a mid-to-late first-rounder.