The best current NBA player from every Sweet 16 team left in the NCAA Tournament
By Ben Handler
6. Clemson Tigers: Hunter Tyson
We’ve officially got a Denver Nugget on the list, folks! It may not be the guy you wanted or expected, but it’s the guy you’ve got. He’s done essentially nothing at the NBA level, as he’s appeared in just 12 games, played a total of 36 minutes and scored 16 points overall.
He’s a rookie second-round pick, and it doesn’t help that he’s playing for the defending champs, but there has been no indication that Tyson has much of a future in the league. Still, he gets this spot because he played his entire college career for the Tigers, and he is technically in the NBA. It turns out that’s all it takes.
The only other current NBA players with ties to Clemson are fellow rookies Olivier-Maxence Prosper and Trey Jemison. While they may possess more upside and potential, they have played little more than Tyson thus far.
But more importantly, neither of those players lasted at Clemson. Jemison stayed for two years before transferring to UAB due to a lack of playing time. Prosper lasted just one season with the Tigers before transferring to Marquette for the same reason.
The Tigers don’t have the most prestigious basketball history, but they have produced the likes of Horace Grant, Elden Campbell, and Larry Nance.