Jaylon Tyson entered his second year with questions surrounding the type of role he would develop in his sophomore season with the Cleveland Cavaliers. Tyson exceeded all reasonable expectations based on the player we saw the year prior and in summer league leading into the season.
All grades are based on our usual expectations for each player.
Tyson would get the Most Improved Award for the Cavaliers this season if such a thing existed. To think where the expectations were for Tyson heading into the season versus where they were in the postseason would be considered a massive win for Cleveland’s development staff.
Tyson seized every opportunity presented to him in the regular season. While his role was never cemented, as the Cavaliers were in a constant state of flux due to injuries and transactions, Tyson excelled in the various positions he held.
When the season began, Tyson quickly emerged as the energy guy off the bench. While it was extremely valuable as the Cavaliers got off to a less-than-ideal start, Tyson was able to get more energy out of the core four of the Cavaliers. This role quickly evolved as Tyson continued to bring the same energy and production on a night to night basis.
Tyson’s shooting splits are pretty crazy considering early on it seemed unreasonable for him to keep up at above 40% three point shooting. It wasn’t like Tyson was shooting at low volume. He attempted 4.5 triples per game. That is not fluky when it carries out for 66 games over an entire season.
Tyson has a lot of skills that allow him to fit into a lot of different roles and lineups. The second on ball initiator role is something Tyson displayed in college. As the season went along, this was a skill that got put on display more often.
The shooting and effort on the glass are where Tyson’s longevity will be in his career. Tyson had 44 games of scoring 10+ points, and in December averaged 15.8 points, with his best game in January being a 39-point outburst in a win against the Philadelphia 76ers.
Tyson has a real argument to be in the starting lineup next season. There are also valid reasons to think he is the Cavaliers’ most intriguing player on the roster. It feels like Tyson still has levels to round out his game.
Unfortunately, all these hopes and dreams didn’t convert into Tyson being a meaningful postseason player. Tyson floundered in the postseason; that same energy and spark that turned games around in the regular season came out as disruptive and counterproductive in the postseason.
If Tyson can find ways to channel this energy into more contributing efforts rather than starting issues with opponents to get a reaction, we could see Tyson become a series altering player in the future.
Overall, Tyson was a huge win for the Cavaliers this past season. For all the juice that left the bench this season, Tyson was able to cover up a lot of ground. The future looks bright for the Cavaliers’ most recent first-round pick. If his sophomore year was any indication, the Cavaliers have found another building block for future playoff runs.