Jaylon Tyson knows his time will come with the Cavs: ‘I’m gonna get my opportunity’
Tyson is using his time with the Charge to hone his craft.
Suiting up for a professional game four nights in a row with a fifth coming around the corner isn’t easy. But that was the situation NBA rookie Jaylon Tyson faced last Saturday when he played his second-straight game with the Cleveland Charge after being on the Cleveland Cavaliers bench for the previous two nights.
“It’s super hard,” said Tyson to Fear the Sword after providing 23 points and 16 rebounds in a win over the Grand Rapids Gold. “You gotta be mentally tough to be able to do that right? I was with the Cavs for like a month, and then I came out here and played. It’s a back-to-back right? Having to be in shape, have to be ready to play, have to be engaged and be confident, so it’s a super hard thing to do.”
The goal of the G League is for prospects to develop in a way that matches how they’ll have to fit in the NBA. There’s a balance between making sure you’re expanding your game while still focusing on the areas you’ll need to succeed at the next level.
For Tyson, that process involves continuing to build on the skills that he will need to fit alongside a core as talented as the Cavs’.
“[We want to see him] develop the things that he’s going to have to do at the NBA level,” said Charge head coach Chris Darnell. “He’s a guy that can put a lot of pressure on the paint with both his ball handling and his size. When he gets there, though, what are his decisions like? Is he able to slow down and play off of two feet? And then on the perimeter, it’s about being able to find catch and shoot threes, being able to play in space. He’s another guy that’s a great cutter,”
Tyson showed those things and more in Saturday’s game with the Charge. He did his scoring damage almost exclusively off-ball as he continually found ways to attack the defense as a spot-up shooter and a slasher to the rim. Tyson knocked down all five of his triples while still finding a way to be a force on the glass. It was a template of what the best version of Tyson looks like at the NBA level. At the same time, this wasn’t the player we first saw in Summer League.
Rookie performances in Summer League aren’t indicative of much, but they do serve as good barometers to show what a player’s baseline is coming into the league. Tyson struggled to make an impact playing alongside a point guard like Craig Porter Jr. who did most of the ball handling. His best moments in Las Vegas came once the Cavs shut Porter down for the summer and gave Tyson more on-ball opportunities which is a role he seemed more comfortable playing after doing so for most of his time in college.
Tyson’s showing Saturday, which included Porter on the court, stood in stark contrast to what we saw this summer. He was comfortable playing off of Porter allowing both to be the best versions of themselves. Tyson didn’t need to control entire possessions to make an impact. He was a piece of a functioning whole.
This transformation speaks to Tyson’s skill level and willingness to adapt his game to what the team needs. Both are things that will take him far in the NBA. Getting a chance to show that growth on the court after spending most of the year outside of the Cavs rotation is meaningful and extremely helpful.
“I don’t think it’s necessarily trying to fit the exact role that you’d fit [at the NBA level], it’s about showing that you could do those things,” said Sam Merrill to Fear the Sword about going back and forth between the Cavs and Charge a few seasons ago. “It’s showing that you could do those things, but also trying to get better as a player.”
No rookie dreams of logging more G League minutes than NBA ones as Tyson currently has. But that is a viable road to getting to where you want to go in the NBA. The Cavaliers are a good example of that as they have four rotation players with G League experience.
“I wasn’t getting [minutes] with the Cavs,” said Dean to Fear the Sword about his rookie season where he was splitting his time between the Cavs and Charge. “So just having game reps that I was getting with the Charge and being able to go out there and play against grown men, like people that were real, true professionals, I think that was a really big stepping stone in my career.”
Those reps can only be used as stepping stones if they’re approached correctly. Tyson said that he treats these games with the Charge “just like it’s a Cavs game.” His actions back this up. It’s why he believes professionalism is the area he’s grown in most this season.
“I think about the end goal,” Tyson said. “I think about, okay, ‘What can I do to better myself today that’s gonna help me in the long run right?’ So I live it, you know, I enjoy the process, and ultimately it’s gonna help me throughout my career because it’s gonna make me mentally tough.”
Tyson has the skills to have a long NBA career. His ability to impact the game as an off-ball scorer and rebounder is something the Cavaliers will need in the future from someone of his size. Tyson also has the attributes to grow into more of an on-ball playmaker and scorer down the road. He’s shown flashes of that this year with the Cavs and even more so with the Charge.
The future is bright for Tyson, although it can be difficult to recognize that during what has been a developmental season. He knows his time will come. Until then, he’s accomplishing what he set out to do his rookie season.
“1,000%,” Tyson said when asked about whether his season was going as he envisioned. “There’s three things I told myself I wanted to do. I wanted to win a championship. We’re on a great pace to do that. I wanted to get better as a player, and I wanted to become a professional. Those three things I’m on a really good track to do.
“The basketball stuff, me playing, and all that is gonna come. I’m gonna get my opportunity.”