Gansey says Jaylon Tyson ‘checks a lot of boxes’

Tyson says the Cavs could have traded back, but wanted to get their guy.

According to Cleveland Cavaliers general manager Mike Gansey, first round pick Jaylon Tyson ‘checks a lot of boxes.”

“He’s tough, competitive. He’s one of the guys we had in that 20 range that came to workout actually,” Gansey said. “He had a great workout for us. He was everywhere. He can rebound, he can pass, he can shoot. He’s just fills so many gaps. He gets in passing lanes. He’s tough. He just checks a lot of boxes and we are excited.”

Gansey said that Tyson’s biggest adjustment will be playing without the ball. At Cal, he spent much more time with the ball in his hands. He added that, with new head coach Kenny Atkinson, players like Tyson will get better because that’s what Atkinson does. Gansey also says they see him defending twos and threes primarily, as well as some smaller fours. Tyson’s rebounding, he said, will help Cleveland too.

“He can shoot,” Gansey said. “I wouldn’t call him a great shooter, but he’s a good shooter. I think he’s going to improve with that playing without the ball on the catch. ... I just think he fits with our guys.”

Gansey said the team had a options to move back, but that the team liked Tyson and prioritized him over more assets.

“We thought ‘hey man, we don’t have a pick for a while. He’s our guy, we like him, let’s take him’,” Gansey said. “We feel like he can contribute. Maybe not the first year, but he can contribute with us. We just need a big wing who can go make plays and he was the best guy on the board for us. We just said ‘hey, we don’t want to regret trading the pick and getting the more picks down the road where we can get this guy at 20 and he’s our guy’.”