Tyson Walker was known to have a killer mentality at Michigan State. He was one of the toughest guards to come through the program, and it’s rare for Tom Izzo to find a true OKG via the transfer portal, but Walker was everything that the Hall of Fame coach wanted in a player.
Walker was tough, he could defend at an elite level, he could shoot, he could create, and he wasn’t afraid to put his body on the line to help the team.
Oh, and he was a leader who wasn’t afraid of the big moment.
At Michigan State, he never quite had the team success that he deserved for as hard as he worked, but he still managed to make a Sweet 16 and three straight NCAA Tournaments in his three seasons in East Lansing.
Walker averaged 8.2 points and 4.3 assists in his first season with Michigan State after transferring in from Northeastern, and then 14.8 points in 2022-23 before posting a career-best 18.4 points on 45 percent shooting as a fifth-year senior in 2023-24.
The s Northeastern transfer finished his Michigan State career with over 1,400 points in three seasons and over 2,100 career points in five collegiate years. Not too shabby.
Unfortunately, the NBA saw him as ”too small”.
Tyson Walker is making it overseas
One league’s trash is another league’s treasure. Walker went undrafted in 2024 and then joined the G-League before ditching that for some overseas basketball.
While Walker would probably love to be playing basketball in the United States, he’s out in Australia making a name for himself with Melbourne United. He did average 14.3 points, 5.6 assists, 2.7 rebounds, and 1.1 steals per game in the G-League with the Texas Legends, but that wasn’t enough to draw NBA attention apparently.
With Melbourne United this season through Dec. 29, however, he’s averaging 14 points, 4.8 assists, and 3.0 rebounds while shooting 46 percent from the floor. He’s becoming a star.
We may not see Walker ever play a single minute in the NBA, but he more than deserves a shot. He proved at Michigan State that his size didn’t matter. He played like the biggest player on the floor, and he’s doing that again overseas.
I see some MVPs in his future.