Why Cavs' Jaylon Tyson Believes He's the NBA's Most Improved Player

The Cleveland Cavaliers are starting to bounce back.

Following a fairly disappointing start to the 2025-26 NBA season, they've started to finally build winning streaks and increase momentum as the playoffs begin to approach. On Sunday, Feb. 1, the Cavaliers were able to take down the Portland Trail Blazers, 130-111, in one of the team's most well-rounded victories of the year.

In the win, the team was spotlighted by five players in double figures, with Jarrett Allen grabbing the headline with a 40-point, 17-rebound performance. It was statistically the best game in his career.

However, while Allen was the clear-cut MVP in the game, another consistent and reliable performance from Jaylon Tyson flew under the radar. In 29 minutes of action, he tacked on 18 points, three rebounds and six assists on 7-of-12 from the field and 4-of-4 from beyond the arc. Whatever Cleveland needed from him, he was able to deliver.

After the game, he sat down with the Cavaliers' broadcast crew and talked about the team's win. At one point, he was asked about his case for the league's Most Improved Player (MIP) award, something he's made an incredible case for.

“If you see the jump from where I was last year to now and look at my impact, I can do things outside of scoring the basketball," Tyson said following the Cavaliers' win. "More wins means more recognition. God always has a plan for me.”

According to the NBA's information about the MIP award, it's given out to the "player who has shown the most progress during the regular season compared to previous seasons."

Jaylon Tyson on his MIP case:

“If you see the jump from where I was last year to now and look at my impact, I can do things outside of scoring the basketball. More wins means more recognition. God always got a plan for me.”pic.twitter.com/sVUxk3xYPw
— ¹⁰ (@HoodiGarland) February 2, 2026

His Case for the Most Improved Award

This season, the second-year pro has been on fire. While the coaching staff looks to different players to step up with various injuries to the rotation, Tyson's welcomed anything thrown his way.

He's played the second-most games this season for Cleveland at a mark of 46, just one behind superstar guard Donovan Mitchell. That type of reliability has been important for the team while players like Darius Garland, Max Strus and Jarrett Allen battle injuries, and De'Andre Hunter struggled to find consistency before he was traded.

Across an average of 27.9 minutes a game, he's putting up averages of 14.0 points, 5.5 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 0.9 steals a night. One of the best attributes of his game, though, is his shooting splits, which come in at 51.6% from the field and 47.3% from beyond the arc, both of which are top marks on the team.

Just last season, Tyson wasn't providing nearly as big of an impact.

He played in 47 games last season, starting three, on an average of 9.6 minutes a game. That alone shows just how much trust the Cavaliers' coaching staff has put in him, with his minutes tripling in one offseason. In the 2024-25 campaign, he averaged a measly 3.6 points, 2.0 rebounds, 0.9 assists and 0.3 steals.

His scoring, rebounding, playmaking and defensive intensity are all areas of development Tyson has showed this season. By his numbers alone, he deserves the MIP award, but his locker room growth also supports it as well.

With the Cavaliers struggling and facing bumps in the road, he called out the veterans earlier in the season. Even though he's just a 23-year-old, he wanted to make his voice known and to show that he wasn't going to sit idly by and let the team crumble.

"He’s got no filter, in a good way," head coach Kenny Atkinson said back in December. "I know his brother plays football, so he’s got that football mentality in him, you know, he’s just brash.

“We encourage that. There’s no like ‘hey, be careful with your comments', we rock with it, and the vets respect it because he plays so darn hard.”

His 2025-26 breakout has given him immense respect from Cleveland's fanbase, players and coaches, something that's going to continue allowing him to grow.

Now, Tyson will look to play a major part in Cleveland's turnaround and hopes of a playoff push. If he's able to do that, it'll be hard to ignore him in the MIP conversation.

The Cavaliers' next game will be on Wednesday against the Los Angeles Clippers. The two sides will square away from 10:30 p.m. EST at the Intuit Dome in Inglewood, Cali.