Counting Down the Cavs: Breaking Down the History of the Number 20 in Cleveland

It is getting closer and closer to the start of the Cleveland Cavaliers season. 20 days to be exact, so now we are diving into the number 20 and its representation in the team's history.

Starting with somebody who I have already talked about in this countdown

Campy Russell 1975-1978

Yesterday, I discussed his time in the number 21 jersey for the last two years of his first Cavaliers stint. But when he was first on the team in 75’ he was the number 20.

In the first four seasons of his career he wore this number and averaged 14.4 points a game before making the switch. Russell played an important role in the “Miracle of Richfield” in 1976 when the young Cavs team upset the Washington Bullets and Elvin Hayes.

While his individual success was higher in the number 21, he is remembered more in Cleveland in his number 20 because of that 1976 season.

Geoff Huston 1981-1985

Traded to Cleveland from Dallas in 1981, Geoff Huston has one specific memory from most Cavs fans during his time in Cleveland.

On January 27th, 1982, Huston dished out a Cavs record 27 assists in a game. That record still stands to this day. He spent 5 seasons in Cleveland and was given the nickname Smooth because of the way he played point guard.

Eric Snow 2005-2008

He already had a great career before the move to Cleveland, but Eric Snow spent the final years of his career with the team. His career was forced to end due to a knee injury where he had torn cartilage.

While in Cleveland, he was considered a co-captain alongside LeBron James and the emotional anchor of the team. In fact, after his career ending injury, he spent the rest of the season as an “unofficial” assistant coach for the team and helped run the teams elite defense at the time.

Timofey Mozgov 2015-2016

In the first Finals appearance in 2015, Mozgov was a defensive anchor who came in when Anderson Varejao went out with a season ending injury. Even scoring a 28 point game in Game 4 of the Finals that year when Bron, Kevin Love and Kyrie were all down.

His role dropped in 2016 when the team won the championship, but he was still one of the first Russian players to win an NBA Championship.

Mozgov’s time in Cleveland was short, but his most famous moment came in 2014 when he played for the Nuggets and the broadcast box score had him listed at 93 points and 29 rebounds.

Jaylon Tyson 2026-Present

The current day number 20, Jaylon Tyson is coming into this season with a lot of hype around his role. With the loss of Max Strus he is going to be one of the first guys off the bench in this Cavs team and will be trusted with lead scoring off the bench.

Tyson had a breakout season last year, if he can continue in that role he could become vital to this team winning another Championship.

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