Donovan Mitchell hypes up Jaylon Tyson after career night with Cavaliers

As the Cleveland Cavaliers manage to find their footing at the midpoint of the season, the emergence of a second-year player may just be the key to success.

The Cleveland Cavaliers needed a hero to complete a stunning comeback against Philadelphia, and Jaylon Tyson answered with the best night of his young career.

Cavaliers leader and six-time All-Star Donovan Mitchell took to X right after the most recent game to give a message, making sure everyone knows the honors he believes Tyson deserves.

Mitchell made his stance clear with a simple post: “JAYLON TYSON MOST IMPROVED.” It’s not subtle, as the campaign for Tyson to earn one of the league’s highest honors appears to be in full swing.

Tyson scored a career-high 39 points off 13/17 shooting (7/9 from deep). With a chance to take a final game-winning shot that would give him 40, he made the right play, finding Evan Mobley who hit the shot for the win.

Tyson's award case

Last year, Tyson barely managed to play, averaging just over nine minutes per game where he scored over three points per game.

This year, Tyson has become primarily a sixth man, while occasionally starting on his way to 27 minutes per game. He is now averaging 13.4 points and 5.3 rebounds per game.

He has already been praised during the season for being a strong voice in the locker room and helping to ignite some fire among the team as they slumped earlier this season. As the season goes on, he has only earned more respect from his teammates.

Now it would be a unique case for Tyson to be considered for the award. As just a second year player, it would be hard for voters to justify calling him “improved” in the same way players typically win the award.

The current favorites for the award are Deni Avdija of the Portland Trail Blazers and Jalen Johnson of the Atlanta Hawks. Avdija was drafted in 2020, and Johnson in 2021, and each player has made massive strides over the past few seasons.

The argument for Tyson would be that Avdija and Johnson have begun to break out last season, rather than this one. Tyson has been one of the few players to truly begin a breakout this year, and he has found a role as a key contributor for one of the top teams in the East.

As the season goes on, Tyson can expect to see his role continue to increase. He’ll be competing with De’Andre Hunter, who has been featured in recent trade rumors, for a starting job throughout the season.

If Tyson can keep bringing this kind of production, he could find himself as a real candidate for the award soon.