Hunter Tyson becomes Clemson's first NBA draft pick since 2017 |
Clemson forward
Hunter Tyson was picked with the 37th overall selection within the second round of the NBA draft by the reigning champ Denver Nuggets on Thursday night.
Tyson is the first Clemson NBA draft selection since 2017 with Jaron Blossomgame (pick No. 59 to the San Antonio Spurs). It was the highest a Tiger has been drafted since K.J. McDaniels in 2014 when he was selected 32nd by the Philadelphia 76ers. The Tyson pick was part of a trade from the Oklahoma City Thunder. Tyson earned first team All-ACC honors by averaging 15.3 points and 9.6 rebounds last season, hitting 40.5% of his 3-point attempts and 47.9% of his field goal attempts overall. He was named the 2023 ACC Skip Prosser Scholar-Athlete of the Year for his work on the court and in the classroom. Tyson became the 44th player in Clemson history to amass 1,000 career points and has since moved into the top 40 all time. He was named to the 2023 Naismith Hall of Fame Karl Malone Award Top 10 and the 2023 USBWA Oscar Robertson Trophy Award Midseason Watch List. He collected 16 double-doubles which tied him for eighth all-time in Clemson history for a single season with Sharone Wright (1992-93). It is the most in a season since Wright posted 18 in 1993-94. Tyson ranks 11th in the nation in double-doubles and is second in the ACC. He’s first in defensive rebounding per game (8.26) and second nationally. His 325 rebounds are fourth in the league and 18th nationally. He made a jump from averaging double-figure scoring for the first time as a fourth-year senior (10) and grabbing 5.5 rebounds, where he shot a tick under 35% from three (34.7). Tyson was rated as high as the No. 8 player out of North Carolina and No. 34 in the country at his position in high school. He was among the standouts of the NBA pre-draft workouts, earning a spot in the combine from a G League Elite Camp workout along with PJ Hall, who withdrew his name to return to Clemson. Former Clemson teammate Olivier-Maxence Prosper, who transferred to Marquette, was picked with the 24th overall selection in the first round on Thursday as well, where his pick was traded to the Dallas Mavericks. So much hard work, blood, sweat and tears led to this moment. Nobody is more deserving‼️#ClemsonGRIT / @h_tyson5 pic.twitter.com/KYfn0WQrmv
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