Cavs’ Jaylon Tyson shares what Donovan Mitchell ‘put in his head’ before season

Cleveland Cavaliers second-year swingman Jaylon Tyson has made so many strides this season. Whether it’s been his three-point shot to a current top-five level to becoming a defensive stalwart, he’s been essential to the team. Cavs All-Star guard Donovan Mitchell has been preaching Tyson’s Most Improved Player case and believed in him from the moment he stepped foot in Cleveland.

With a strong relationship off the court, the pairing works seamlessly on it. The two’s short-roll connection is a weapon for Kenny Atkinson and the wine and gold, as Mitchell handles the ball while Tyson sets a high screen in the middle area. There’s a multitude of options that come from the ball-screen action: Tyson rolls to the right elbow, pops to the opposite wing, or acts as a decoy for Mitchell’s next move.

“I think obviously we work on it in practice,” Tyson said at a practice at the beginning of this month. “Donovan was kind of putting it in my head earlier in the year, so we worked on it in training camp, and just my ability to be able to make quick reads out of it, I could pass out of it. Also, working on that little floater. I feel like that’s helped me, but just seeing different reads is helping me grow in that.

“Obviously, I’m still young, trying to figure that part out. But the more I see different coverages, how they guard, the more I just get more confident.”

Of his 178 assisted field goals, Mitchell has assisted on a team-high 40. Around the NBA Summer League, the veteran recalls texting Tyson that Cleveland would need him to play a big role.

“I just explained to him that he’s going to have a vital part in what we do,” Mitchell said. “Credit to him, he’s put all the work in himself. He comes in, watches the film. He’s always listening. Even when he has flubs, like, we’ll take his mistakes because they’re aggressive, they’re in the right mindset.

“Even if he doesn’t keep up the high level of scoring, I tell him, ‘Look, if you play in the half roll, I don’t care if you score 20, if you score zero points. Bruce Brown, Royce O’Neale, those two guys, Josh Hart, they’ve made a killing in the half roll. Like, you can be that.’ And credit to him that he’s doing that, and also being able to come out and have 22 and 13 on certain nights. He’s done a phenomenal job.”

Jaylon Tyson earning praise

Cavs head coach Kenny Atkinson has praised Tyson for the job he’s done, time and again. He went into the specifics of what it takes to be successful in the short roll.

“You have to be able to get in and out of the roll quickly,” Atkinson said. “I always feel like you have to get a hip turn really good, like from a physical standpoint, get to hit. And then, you become a decision maker. So I would say the physical part, the technique on it, the hip turn, and then when you catch it in there, you’ve got this landscape, right? Is it rim? Is it pop to the dunker? Is it a kickout? It’s become such a big part of our game, the hybrid players.”

Averaging 1.05 points per possession in the action, Tyson hasn’t been perfect as a roll man, but he has been timely. On multiple occasions, he’s made the correct call, whether it’s been a quick teardrop or a pass to a cutter in critical moments.

Mitchell saw the vision with the Cavs’ sophomore standout, as Tyson is averaging 13.7 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 2.2 assists per game on .513/.462/.757 shooting splits. He’s playing almost 28 minutes a night, ranking fifth in three-point percentage and 13th in effective field goal percentage (61.4%).

“There’ll be days I’ll come to the gym and can’t throw a pebble in the ocean,” Tyson said. “People around me and my trainers and staff here, they just tell me, just keep shooting it, keep shooting it, have confidence, and we need you to shoot that shot. So ultimately, my mental has just gotten way better…

“I think it was Larry [Nance Jr.] that told me that this opportunity you got ahead of you, not a lot of people get. Obviously, we had a couple of injuries, opened up some room for me to be able to play and say, ‘Yo, like, you’ve got to take advantage of it. Because a lot of people don’t get this opportunity.’ I feel like that’s what stuck in my mind, and it’s been with me this whole year.”

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