How Wichita State’s Tyson Etienne is improving his NBA Draft stock in team workouts
NBA teams knew Tyson Etienne could shoot the basketball. Now they’re finding out he’s much more than just a shooter.
The 6-foot-2 guard prospect from Wichita State has impressed NBA Draft scouts this summer with a 46-inch max vertical leap, which would have broken the previous NBA Draft Combine record if he had been invited.
After his latest NBA Draft workout with the Golden State Warriors on Tuesday, Etienne told The Wichita Eagle about the trait that is surprising NBA scouts the most about him.
“I think I play a lot of my game off of skill, so a lot of people don’t know that I’m as athletic as I am because I’m not dunking over people all the time in games,” Etienne said. “I have a lot of power and I have a lot of explosiveness. My vertical is at a 46 right now. That’s something a lot of people wouldn’t know if they just looked at me.”
Etienne still does not appear in draft projections by media outlets, but he is starting to generate some buzz among popular NBA Draft analysts. According to his agent, Jelani Floyd of Beyond Athlete Management, Etienne has made a strong impression on NBA teams with his in-person workouts. The Englewood, New Jersey native at the very least has established himself on the NBA Draft radar now — if not for this year, then down the line.
Etienne has now worked out for four teams — the Cleveland Cavaliers, New York Knicks, Boston Celtics and Golden State Warriors — with three more workouts scheduled with the Brooklyn Nets (on Friday), Toronto Raptors (July 5) and Phoenix Suns (July 6). He has also received interest from the Charlotte Hornets, Indiana Pacers, Utah Jazz and Miami Heat.
It will be a difficult decision for Etienne when he ultimately has to decide whether to return to WSU for his third year with the Shockers or to officially become a professional basketball player on the NCAA’s July 7 deadline.
“I think that’s for me and my family to sit down when that day comes and make the best decision for Tyson Etienne at the end of the day,” Etienne said. “Take everything under consideration and take what’s going to be the best route for myself and for my family. When that day comes, I’ll be ready to have a decision and everybody will know what it is.”
Etienne said he’s felt like he’s been training at an NBA-level since he arrived at WSU in the offseason with his trainer John Hawthorne. When given an expanded role this past season, Etienne delivered one of the best individual scoring seasons in Shocker history. He averaged 16.3 points, 3.4 rebounds, 2.5 assists, 1.0 steals and a school-record 2.95 three-pointers per game, while winning Co-Player of the Year honors in the American Athletic Conference and leading WSU to its first AAC championship and a return to the NCAA Tournament.
While Etienne proved his scoring and shooting prowess playing mostly off the ball at shooting guard, his height (6-2) likely means he will have to prove to NBA teams he can create shots for himself and others while playing point guard at the next level. Etienne said he feels like he has demonstrated his ability to do that during his workouts.
“I feel like I have the ability to play with the basketball in my hands, but my role was to score the basketball at Wichita State,” Etienne said. “I was going to do whatever we needed for us to win. I knew that the NBA would like for me to be on the ball more, but at that point I was focused on getting Wichita State wins. If me scoring the ball is what we needed to do, then I was going to do that.
“Showing that I can play with the basketball in my hands and being a facilitator and a playmaker is a skill that a lot of teams didn’t know that I had. I think I’ve displayed my ability to do that through this process.”
Etienne’s decision on July 7 will have a huge ripple effect for WSU ahead of the upcoming 2021-22 season.
If Etienne decides to return to school, the Shockers could lay claim to having the best player in the American on their roster and would feel confident in their chances of playing in the NCAA Tournament again next season. He would likely spend more time on the ball for WSU and could improve his stock for the 2022 NBA Draft.
Etienne said he feels like he has improved his game tremendously during the last three months of professional training. If he does come back to the Shockers, he believes he would be an even better version of the player who was the co-MVP of the conference last season.
“Just working on my finishing around the rim, continuing to develop my reads off ball screens and getting to my spots in the mid-range better,” Etienne said. “Shooting it more efficiently and tweaking little details on my three-point jump shot, which I think can bring my percentages to a higher level.”
But if Etienne does leave and turn pro, WSU would have a gaping hole to replace in its starting lineup. WSU would likely play junior Dexter Dennis more at shooting guard, opening up a starting spot and more playing time for freshman Ricky Council IV at small forward. WSU also brought in Division II All-American Qua Grant, who could fill some of the scoring void. The Shockers would also have the dilemma of having a second scholarship spot open up in July, which would be later than normal to bring in a new recruit.
It would be hard for the Shockers to find another player like Etienne, who has always been lauded for his diligence while at WSU, whether it was on the basketball court, in the weight room or in a training session. He said one of the biggest eye-opening discoveries from the last three months of the NBA Draft process has been that almost every player at this level is like him.
“You really see the attention to detail and the discipline and dedication it takes to be an elite player,” Etienne said. “Everybody in the NBA is great, so it’s about what separates you. How much are you willing to put in? Are you willing to put in extra time studying the little details of your game?
“You just understand how much every detail matters. ‘Holding onto the inches,’ as I call it. It’s so important because at this point, everybody is fighting to get in those 60 picks. Everybody is fighting to get their name called on July 29.”
This story was originally published June 30, 2021 at 6:00 AM.
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