Walk this way: Tyson thrives in one-team culture

Through the opening 10 rounds of the Hungry Jack's NBL26 season, Melbourne's Tyson Walker has established himself as one of the best guards in the competition.

He's the head of the snake of United, who are enjoying a franchise-best start to a season, averaging 14.5 points, 4.5 assists, 3.1 rebounds and 2 steals per contest.

His play isn't going unnoticed either.

NBL champion Pete Hooley had him in the competition's top five MVP contenders at the FIBA Break, while three-time NBL Coach of the Year Joey Wright labelled Walker the "best guard he's seen in the NBL".

The Michigan State University product isn't buying too much into the narrative though, rather praising the environment he's in to allow him to be the best version of himself he can be.

"I think my season is going pretty well, but it's helped by all the guys we have on our team that know what this league's about and the ins and outs of it," Walker said.

"They've really helped me set my expectations for certain situations.

"We have a good mix of veterans and young guys, who all want the best for each other, [so I'm just going to continue to go out there and do what I can for the team to succeed].

"The other big part has been going out there and having a bit of trial and error on the fly, [and figuring out exactly what works and what doesn't]."

Tyson Walker is a $315,700 guard in the NBL’s official fantasy game, Beat The Coach, presented by Choice Hotels. Take on Damon Lowery and Beat the Coach in any round of the NBL26 Season and you’ll receive an entry into the end-of-season $10,000 prize draw, including $5,000 cash and $5,000 in Choice Hotels™ gift vouchers. Sign up to play now here.

To that, the 25-year-old talks of the positive influence coach Dean Vickerman has had on his play.

"The main thing Dean's focused on is me consistently pushing the pace, as it opens up so much of our game," he said.

"He and the other coaches let me play, but stay on me and correct as we go. It's been working really well."

Sitting at 13-3 following Thursday night's loss to Perth, Walker says his side are happy with their positioning, but knows there is still plenty of work to be done in the coming months.

"We started off really well being 9-0, which laid the platform," he said.

"Going into the break, we've gotten a win against everyone, so we're feeling good about ourselves.

"It's now important we stay sharp and keep evolving our games. Yes we're winning games, but we know there's still work to do, which is what we're focused on every time we step on the court."

United plays the Phoenix in the 31st Throwdown on Sunday from 2.30pm at John Cain Arena, live on ESPN and Channel 10.