CLEMSON -- It's kind of a big deal when a Clemson basketball player has a chance to be drafted by the NBA.
The last time it happened in these parts was six years ago, when Jaron Blossomgame was selected by the Spurs in the second round with the No. 59 overall pick.
The only other time during Brad Brownell's tenure was nine years ago when K.J. McDaniels was selected in the second round with the 32nd overall pick.
Hunter Tyson could be part of that rare company tonight, as he's viewed as a possible pick in the late second round of the two-round draft.
A year from now, one P.J. Hall will be in the same conversation.
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And the presence of two transcendent, fully-developed and fully team-committed talents should absolutely be a part of the conversation regarding evaluation of Brad Brownell as the coach prepares for his 14th season at Clemson.
"The thing I think about is that three years ago, nobody expected me to be here," Tyson said in a recent interview furnished by the Indiana Pacers.
"Probably a year ago, nobody expected me to be here. ... I never gave up and was big on development."
As we covered during our recent extended interview with Brownell, there are two prevailing methods of evaluating the head coach's tenure.
Some emphasize the entire body of work, saying three NCAA Tournament appearances in 13 years is not acceptable.
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Others point more toward the last six seasons, during which the program has ranked fifth in the ACC in victories behind only Virginia, Duke, Florida State and North Carolina.
More investment in the program's infrastructure has logically translated to better recruiting and development, which has helped produce these possible draft picks in back-to-back years.
To his credit, Brownell didn't staunchly take the last-six-years stance during our interview. He said he "sees both sides of it" and understands the point of view that three tournaments in 13 years is not enough.
"I certainly understand that I have been the coach at Clemson for a long time, and I’m extremely thankful and don’t take it lightly," he told us.
"It is a different job now than it was from a facility standpoint, and I've done a lot to raise a ton of money for this school for basketball -- more than most people would know. And not just money to build facilities but involvement for NIL, filling courtside seats, etc.
"We have created not just a good booster group but a good friend group where we’re not just playing golf but going on foreign trips with different families, going to dinner, and creating an environment that is more on par with the people we compete against. And that has come in the last six or seven years. Our recruiting has gotten better as a result of it. And as a result, it is not surprising that our results are better. And we have used that in recruiting. "
It's not a stretch to say the exceptional team dynamic shown last year by Clemson has been attractive to NBA personnel in their evaluation of Tyson.
Yes, he's a big who can shoot from long range and that's of course a major factor for a league that prioritizes shooting.
But take a look at the team that just rampaged to an NBA title and you'll see an outfit that could be redefining some of how teams are constructed.
The Denver Nuggets -- and the Finals-contending Miami Heat too, for that matter -- were both exceptionally unselfish basketball teams. They valued sharing the ball, passing up good shots to get great shots.
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They both felt less like franchises and more like programs. This cut against the grain of the idea of NBA teams as hopelessly individualistic and corrupted by 1-on-1 play.
It also reminded you a lot of what we saw from Clemson last year.
And, presumably, what we'll see out of Clemson again in 2023-24.
Yes, the composition and camaraderie of a team changes every year with attrition. Tyson was a major part of the foundation for last year's regular-season achievement, and that'll be difficult to replace.
But you get the feeling a lot of the reasons Clemson fans had so much fun last season will be the same reasons they should be highly optimistic about next season.
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