When searching for silver linings to the disappointing 15-13 start for the Cleveland Cavaliers, it does not take long to land on Jaylon Tyson. His development in his second season is rapidly becoming a place of comfort to turn to for Clevelanders who would otherwise be distraught with this season.
With the added opportunity, Tyson has quickly emerged as one of the Cavaliers’ most reliable players during the 2025-26 NBA season. Those increase minutes have come as a result of injuries galore for Cleveland. Their problem now is what to do down the line.
One would only hope there comes a point in this campaign for the Cavaliers when the team will be relatively healthy. That immediately raises questions about what the rotation looks like at full strength — something Cleveland has not needed to answer for most of the season.
Before the year started, the Cavaliers would have been satisfied with Tyson being the ninth or 10th man on the depth chart. Now, the second-year man is leaving them no choice but to push him much higher on the list of priorities in Cleveland.
Cavaliers should continue to prioritize Jaylon Tyson’s development
28.3 minutes per game is what Tyson has been afforded while the Cavaliers have navigated a laundry list of injuries in the early parts of 2025-26. The breakout wing has received 17 starts (in 23 games) to go with that.
Cleveland will (hopefully) be adding back the likes of Evan Mobley, Sam Merrill, and Max Strus in the near future. Those are all prominent names who deserve their fair chunk of minutes.
Even so, Tyson has earned the right to not have his playing time greatly diminish in the process. There has simply been too much to love about who he’s been this season, and the bigger picture of what featuring him should mean for the future in Cleveland.
Tyson has averaged 13.5 points, 5.6 rebounds, 2.0 assists, and 1.0 steal per game thus far. The former first-round pick is shooting 53.9 percent from the field and 46.6 percent from beyond the arc.
Tyson has molded himself into exactly the kind of supporting act that every great team needs. That gives the Cavaliers enough reason to want him on the floor in the short-term. There should also be a belief that long-term, if Cleveland is forced to retool, Tyson is a big part of that.
Continuing to give him every opportunity to succeed should be a big part of ensuring the best present and future for the Cavaliers. Shying away from that approach after everything Tyson has proven would simply be malpractice.
