How Jaylon Tyson Can Build Upon His Breakout Season With Cavs

Cavaliers Wing Jaylon Tyson had a strange season in 2025-26. With Max Strus & Darius Garland sidelined to open the year, he was presented with a prime opportunity to make a name for himself and that’s exactly what he did.

He experienced a breakout of sorts, posting averages of 13.2 Points, 5.1 Rebounds, and 2.2 Assists, while completing roughly 49.3% of his shots, including 44.6% (104/219) from 3PT range. He tripled his point production, became a viable catch and shoot outlet and provided head coach Kenny Atkinson with a reliable role player to deploy on a nightly basis.

On the surface, that is an exceptional leap. And to be clear, it was. That said, it felt like a tale of two seasons for Tyson. Pre All-Star Tyson was a knock down shooter. Someone who was making defenses pay for leaving him space. The Cal product held averages of 13.9 Points, 5.4 Rebounds, and 2.3 Assists, drilling 51.4% of looks including a staggering 47.5% from deep. He was a fringe contender for the NBA’s Most Improved Player award.

Post All-Star Tyson was still a viable contributor but felt out of place and a bit uncertain of his role at times. This was to be expected as the Cavaliers were busy acclimating new pieces and working Strus back into the fold. Of course, there was also a toe injury that forced him to miss a hefty chunk of games toward the end of the season.

In fact, entering the playoffs, Tyson had only been back in the lineup for 2 games. Suffice it to say that he was coming in with little to no rhythm. That may have played a role in him failing to establish himself as a contributor in Atkinson’s playoff rotation. There were head-scratching sequences, a bunch of missed shots, and an inability to contain the opposition defensively, which ultimately led to Tyson being on the outside looking in.

Some may choose to believe that this was a classic example of a player balling out during the regular season and fading away come the playoffs. Others may simply categorize it as a young player wilting under the pressure cooker that is playoff hoops.

No matter which side of the isle you align with, one thing remains clear. Tyson should get every opportunity to prove that his stretch of play leading up to the all-star break was no fluke. Gone are his days as the team's starting 3. That said, the departure of Strus has left a sizable opening (and minutes) up for grabs.

I would assume that Tyson is now, at worst, the 7th man for a bench that doesn’t have much in the way of dependability outside of Sam Merrill. Everyone, including Tyson, must prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that they can be trusted to perform when it matters most. In terms of pure utilization, I suspect that Atkinson will elect to deploy him as the first wing off the bench.

That’s just a fancy way of saying that Tyson will play the bulk of the reserve SF minutes. His minutes distribution in 2025-26 paint the portrait of versatility. He played the bulk of his minutes at SF (56%) but he also saw time at both the 2 (22%) and the 4 (23%).

As constructed, I think he could be in line for the same type of role, albeit coming off the bench as Peyton Watson is now firmly entrenched as the team’s starting 3. The question is, how can build upon his sophomore breakout?

I think that begins with regaining his pre all-star form. Even If he can simply find his footing as a shotmaker on the perimeter once more, it could go a long way towards re-establishing the confidence he had built up in himself last season.

I expect him to provide a reliable outlet for drivers but I also think placing the ball in his hands more as an orchestrator would benefit his development. It would also come with the potential benefit of giving Cleveland another reliable ball handler.

The reality is that Jaylon Tyson will be afforded every opportunity to stake his claim. It’s up to him to do the rest.

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