Jaylon Tyson is Set for His Second-Career Playoff Run

And I don't believe in none of that ‘sophomore jinx’ stuff. Like, I'm a ballplayer. I'm gonna come back this summer, and there’s gonna be another jump next year. I’m going to put another goal in my mind. And I'm gonna hit those goals because I know how I'm built. 

So, I don't believe in all of that stuff. 

Was there a point during this past season when the lightbulb really went off for you, when you realized that you really belong as part of an NBA rotation on a good team? 

Tyson: There was a stretch in December where I was averaging almost 20 points and around seven rebounds. I was shooting the ball really well and everything was firing on all cylinders. And (the coaching staff) was looking at me almost as the second or third option.

So, that's when I was like: Man, I could really do something with this, right? 

And for me, and for everybody else, it wasn't really the offensive side. It was really my defense. I was guarding the best player every time. I remember I was able to frustrate a lot of really good players. 

And I think that's, for me, another step that I'm gonna take this summer – I want to try to be All-Defensive player. And I think I have all capabilities of doing it that. That's a step I want to take. 

But that's when I knew – around that December point – I was like, yeah, I could do something with this. I'm going to get a real chance. 

You had that big career game in Philly – 39 points on less than 17 attempts in a big win. What did that do for your confidence heading into the second half of the season? 

Tyson: I would say that game was part of it. 

But even in that game, I wouldn't even say it was 39 points. Yeah, that was cool and all. But I remember that I held Tyrese Maxey to 2-of-8 from three. That was the key to winning that game. 

And now going into playoffs. That's what that's what I'm going to need. That’s what they’re going to need from me on this team.

That Philly game, I don't know if it was necessarily a turning point, but it was definitely a step in the right direction, for sure. It was boosting confidence through everybody. 

What do you see as your role now, heading into the playoffs? 

Tyson: I think my role is very clear. It’s been made very clear to me. 

It's going to be kind of similar of what it’s been this year – be aggressive on offense, rebound the ball like I do, and play really good defense. Have a playoff-mentality focus. 

The next progression for me is staying locked-in off ball. I'm not worried about on-ball defense. I take that personally. Ain't nobody going at me. I'm not going for that. But it's the off-ball awareness that I need to clean up a little. And I think I could be a huge part of us winning at a high level here. 

How important is the defensive side of the ball going to be for you in this year’s playoff run? 

Tyson: My thing is, I’m in year two, right? If the coaching staff and my teammates trust me to go at the best players, I’ve got to show up. I’ve got to show out, right? 

And there’s a level of confidence that not a lot of people get to earn. And I feel like I've earned their confidence. And I’ve got to show them why they gave me that job and gave me that role. That's my mindset heading into the playoffs. 

What advice do you have or have you passed on to Tyrese Proctor so that he can take a leap like you did heading into his sophomore season? 

Tyson: He and I have had multiple conversations about it. I told him, like, my journey and your journey are going to be two different things.

The only reason why I got opportunity this year is injuries early. That's facts. And I told him, like, don't let this thing frustrate you, because I'm telling you, it could all change like that. And I told him: You're going to be a really, really good player in this league, because you have everything. I told him: Going into the offseason, learn from your mistakes. Learn from my mistakes, right? 

He's already a really good locker room guy. Everybody loves him in the locker room. I feel like Tyrese has done everything he's supposed to do. He's in the gym all the time. 

I think he's going to be a really good player. But just going into this offseason with the mindset, a similar kind of mindset: No DNPs, or that you want to play 15 minutes, 20 minutes a game – whatever his goals are, just take those goals and do your best to try to attain those goals. 

In the regular season, the 23-year-old has made major leaps from this rookie campaign in every statistical category, including scoring (3.6pgg – 13.2ppg), rebounding (2.0rpg – 5.1rpg), assists (0.9apg – 2.2apg), minutes (9.6mpg – 26.9mpg), field goal percentage (.430 - .493) and three-point percentage (.345 - .446). 

That final category – his .446 mark from long-range – was good for the 4^th-best mark in the NBA this season. 

Early-season injuries elevated Tyson – the 20^th overall pick out of Cal in the 2024 Draft – into the starting lineup right from opening night this year, and he started six of Cleveland’s first eight games this year. And after failing to notch double-digit scoring through those first four games, he did so in each of his next six – and never looked back from there. 

But it was his big December push – plus a career-high 39-point eruption in a critical mid-January win over Philly – that truly put him on the NBA map. This past December, the rugged 6-6, 215-pounder averaged 15.8ppg on 55 percent shooting from deep, 44 percent from beyond the arc. To start the month, he became just the third Cavalier in team history shoot at least .725 from the floor over a three-stretch, joining two guys named LeBron James and Mark Price. 

In that January win over the Sixers, he became just the third player in team history – joinng Kevin Love and Roy Hinson – to score at least 39 points on 17 or fewer field goal attempts. 

Defensively and on the glass, Tyson’s been just as good. And that’s where he’ s likely to make his mark when the NBA’s second season tips off this weekend. 

As the Cavalier made final preparations for Game 2 on Monday morning in Independence, Tyson sat down with Cavs.com to recap his stellar sophomore season and look ahead to where he goes from here … 

After returning from a late season injury and just getting two games in before the playoffs, do you feel like you’ll be able to get your rhythm back heading into the Toronto series? 

Jaylon Tyson: Yeah, I've been doing two-a-days, so I've been coming back at night trying to get that rhythm back. So yeah, I feel like I'm good. 

In those two games back, I felt there were a couple shots that I missed, some that I usually make. But, I mean, it's basketball. And at the end of the day, I know my spots. I'm confident in who I am and what my abilities are. And that's the biggest thing going to playoffs. You have to be confident, because somebody’s got to step up.  

I'm ready for that, and whatever role, whatever opportunity that I get, I'm excited for it. And I’m going to take advantage of all that.

You finished the season as the league’s 4^th-best three-point shooter, exceeding most people’s expectations. What led to your success as a long-range shooter this year? 

Tyson: I mean, I'm a hard worker, right? And I'm an analytical thinker. Anybody who knows me knows how I overthink everything. I gotta do this, I gotta do that.

So, I knew in the back of my mind, going to summer. I had one goal: Don't get any more DNPs this year. That was my goal. I didn't want to be on the bench no more. I didn't. That didn’t sit right with me. Obviously, we had a really good team, but I wanted to be able to contribute to winning. 

That's kind of what I tell him.  

Getting on the court, I understood that you’ve got to play defense. That's mandatory. And then on this team with our two really good guards – at that time, Darius and Don, I knew I had to be able to space the floor. 

So, catch-and-shoot was gonna be a big thing for me. And that's all we worked on all summer – catch-and-shoot from every angle, all the footwork you could imagine. And like I said, I'm a hard worker, so we were doing it twice, almost three times a day. Just getting up shots, getting up game-rep shots. 

And then my confidence started to build. And then we went to Summer League, and I was shooting everything, And I remember I shot a wild three-pointer and (Donovan) was like: ‘What?!’ And I'm like: Yeah, this is a different day. I'm confident now. 

And then we went into Training Camp, and I don’t think I missed a three, or maybe missed one three. And I was shooting some wild threes – stuff that I wouldn't never usually shoot as a rookie. And I was making them, and I started to grow and grow and grow. And the season hit, and it just continued from there. And now we’re here.

After the Trade Deadline – and then when Max Strus returned from injury – your minutes and your role began to fluctuate. What did it take to rediscover your rhythm from there? 

Tyson: It was an adjustment, you know? I'm a competitor. I want to play as much as I can. But it was definitely adjustment – coming from all year I've been playing, right? But I put it in perspective. Like, year two, you go look at all the year two players. There's not a lot of players that are in the rotation on a really good team. There's probably, like, three or four that are actually in a playoff rotation team. 

And when I put that in perspective, I was like: Man, just go take advantage of the opportunities. That's what I did early in the year to earn the minutes. And that’s what I'm gonna have to do now to earn more minutes, right? 

We have a really good team. I understood that. And I think it's a mindset: Take advantage of every opportunity.

A lot of players coming off their rookie season suffer from the “sophomore jinx,” but you did the opposite. You built off your rookie season and made a big leap in your second year. How did you do it? 

Tyson: There's two ways I can answer that. 

First of all, this is kind of like my ‘rookie year,’ just because I didn't really get any burn last year. So, I would look at this as my rookie year. 

And then second of all, I wasn’t an 18-year-old coming into the NBA. I’m 23 now. So, I’ve got experience within the basketball game. And that's why I say that my college experiences helped me to transition to the NBA. The experiences and the trials and tribulations I went through in college really suited me well for the NBA. 

Last question: During Game 3 in Toronto your brother has a chance to be drafted by the Browns. How cool would that be for your family – to have you both here in Cleveland? 

If there’s such a thing as a “sophomore jinx,” Jaylon Tyson blew past it like an orange plastic cone in some suicide drill down at Cleveland Clinic Courts. 

After tasting modest success as a rookie, appearing in 47 games with three starts, Tyson entrenched himself in the Cavaliers rotation this year, and as the Wine & Gold have started another playoff run, he’ll be a key piece in their quest for the NBA promised land. 

When the Cavs begin the postseason, they’ll be able to count on the usual suspects, like veterans Donovan Mitchell, James Harden, Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen. Max Strus has been through the wars with Miami and Cleveland. Sam Merrill has played a role in three straight playoff appearances with the Cavs and won a title as a rookie with the Bucks. Dennis Schröder has played in 74 post season games with four different teams. 

But anyone who’s watched playoff basketball knows that there’s always an X-factor – someone who seizes the moment and grabs the glory. Sophomore swingman Jaylon Tyson – whose younger brother, Jordyn, will almost certainly be a First Round pick in this week’s NFL Draft – has taken advantage of every opportunity he’s gotten since the start of Training Camp, and aside from a 10-game absence with a toe injury, he’s answered the call with flying colors. 

Tyson: I mean, my thing is, how my family was raised, if he was to come here, he would try to change the narrative around the Browns, everything about it. So, I think that would be a tremendous opportunity, because if you could do that, be a part of something like that. You're always stamped in Cleveland. And I think he has the ability to do that. 

I actually just talked to him after the pro day and again (Friday morning) and told him: There's no pressure. Like, it's football. Go do what you do and be who you are – and everything else will take care of itself. 

I've been in that situation, where you feel like you’ve got a lot of pressure on you, and it's not the easiest thing, but once you just let the pressure go and once you let the main thing be the main thing, everything takes care of itself.