Inside Jaylon Tyson's 'basketball journey' and workout that led to Cavs draft selection

INDEPENDENCE — "You're going to have to cut off my legs, and still then, I'm hopping somewhere."

That somewhat alarming, mildly gruesome line was uttered by new Cavaliers first-round pick Jaylon Tyson, who was taken with the No. 20 overall selection in the NBA Draft Wednesday night.

But it wasn't as threatening as it sounds. It was said with a smile. Tyson was describing the moment that he secured himself as one of the Cavaliers' top choices for the 20th pick, which will be their last first-round selection for several years, barring a trade.

Tyson, a 6-6 wing known for being able to do a little bit of everything on the offensive end, shot up potential draft boards during last season, which was his first with the University of California. He had been on the Cavs' radar for a while. When it came time for the pre-draft workouts, though, Tyson was dealing with a back issue, including spasms.

He could have stepped aside, citing the unfortunate timing of the injury, and let the chips fall where they may. It's possible he still would have ended up with the Cavs, who certainly weren't going to make a decision solely based on a workout and some drills when they have multiple years of college basketball tape to consider.

Tyson said Thursday, when he met with local reporters, that he's never been considered the most talented player in the gym, or the most gifted. But he will outwork everyone else. And there was no way he was going to let some back spasms interfere with that.

The workout with the Cavs wasn't the only one Tyson had to gut his way through, clenching his teeth through the pain. But it might have been the most painful, and the most rewarding for Tyson in the end.

"This one probably hurt the most, ever. … But I know my mentality. I'm a killer, and there was nothing going to stop me," Tyson said Thursday. "I knew I wasn't going to sit out. … All I needed, I told them to put a hot pack on it, make it hot, I'll be straight. But yeah, I wanted to make an impression."

He certainly did. Tyson solidified himself as a key target for the Cavs in the draft. That workout, which featured Tyson out-playing and out-hustling several other players, bad back and all, went a long way toward easing any concerns or doubts related to his game.

"He came to Cleveland [and had] a dynamic workout, really left an impression with us," said Cavaliers president of basketball operations Koby Altman. "Both character-wise, how he performed on the court, and then just gave us a vision on how we can use him in terms of how he's going to elevate people around him. That's the mark of a really good player."

Jaylon Tyson injured back was the result of an awkward flight

As for why Tyson was dealing with a back injury, well, that wasn't exactly basketball-related. Tyson didn't injure himself on the basketball court. In fact, he didn't even injure himself at sea level, or anywhere close to it.

It was roughly 30,000-40,000 feet in the air during a flight from Los Angeles to Toronto for another pre-draft workout prior to coming to Cleveland.

"The put me in the back of the plane. I was next to a bigger dude. I'm sitting there in the corner like this for about four or five hours," Tyson said, motioning as if he's squashed into a corner. "No problem during the flight. But got up, 'Oh, man.' I felt 20 years older."

Jaylon Tyson's path to Cavaliers draft pick included rocky high school career, three colleges

As Tyson was introduced as a member of the Cavaliers on Thursday afternoon — with family members in tears as Altman brought out a new No. 24 jersey — it was the next stop along a path that has been, at times, winding and uncertain.

As a kid, Tyson never felt he was the most talented player. He was cut from the team heading into his sophomore year of high school. He went to the University of Texas, then transferred to Texas Tech and finally attended his third college in three years when he switched to Cal.

At Texas Tech, he felt there was more in him. He felt he could be an NBA player. He just had to show it. And proving what he can do is something he's done for years.

"Basketball's taken me through a journey," Tyson said. "I've learned a lot and I've been through the struggle. I've been at the bottom, the lowest of lows. I've had to work for everything I've ever gotten — everything. I'm not a generational talent, quote-unquote, right? But the one thing I have that nobody else has is [this level of the] love for the game and the will to win."

Tyson's journey, of course, is far from over. He now joins the Cavs, where he'll have to earn minutes in first year head coach Kenny Atkinson's rotation. But considering the path already traveled, holding his Cavaliers jersey up for pictures as an NBA player was a nice exclamation point on his journey thus far.