Participating in his first NBA All-Star Weekend, Jaylon Tyson was at the free-throw line during the Rising Stars Game when his Cleveland Cavaliers teammate Donovan Mitchell literally announced his presence, yelling at him as he walked to the front row of Crypto.com Arena. Trying to concentrate on making the shot, the 23-year-old refocused after a laugh and knocked it down.
“I was trying to win MVP. I ain't gonna lie. I was trying to get it,” Tyson recalled at practice last week. “And he's over there screaming something. But I made it.”
Unfortunately, Tyson's Tracy McGrady-led Team T-Mac did not get a chance to get to the title game; that doesn't mean Tyson didn't bring his true self. He wound up leading his squad with 10 points and five rebounds in 11 minutes.
“The game, I wasn't as happy 'cause it was only like five minutes, and then we had to get off the court,” Tyson said. “So I wanted to keep playing a full game.”
Tyson dished out two assists, one of which was a highlight reel hook-up with Miami Heat big man Kel'el Ware on an alley-oop while turning the corner. Missing the opportunity as a rookie, he treated it like a chance to show what he's capable of with all eyes on the league's biggest weekend.
“He plays one way,” Mitchell said. “He plays hard. He's picking up full court. He's doing all the things. I wish he had some help out there. He was rebounding. He was passing. He was doing everything.”
“It was cool sharing the court with them guys. In the back of my mind, I know I'm better than a lot of those guys, if not all of 'em,” Tyson added. “I just want to go out there and prove that every single day, and then, hopefully, be an All-Star one day.”
Unlike many of the talents that stayed the weekend in Los Angeles, Tyson took off after Friday to go home, recuperate, and prepare himself for the second half of the season. Mitchell was impressed by his professionalism in handling his first All-Star Weekend. He also ensured that the bright young forward's presence was still felt when the 3-Point Contest came around.
Mitchell donned Tyson's No. 20 with his name on the back as he fired away, just as he did with Sam Merrill's uniform a couple of years ago.
“That was so cool,” Cavs head coach Kenny Atkinson said. “They have such a great relationship. Donovan, since Day 1, has embraced Jaylon. He observed him first, said, ‘This kid's got this insane work ethic.' It reminds me a lot of Donovan. So I think he's a big part of Jaylon's development. It really helps when your best player's all-in on a young player's development. I thought it was a cool gesture doing that.”
Although Tyson joked that his jersey was “a little too big” for Mitchell, he felt his teammate's love, and it's nothing new.
“He's one of those guys that I'll keep a relationship with throughout my whole career and beyond,” Tyson said. “Super grateful to have him. I feel like I give a lot of credit for the year I'm having to him, honestly. I go back on that text message; I don't think people understand how much that text message meant to me and how much confidence it gave me. So I give a lot of credit to him for all my success.”
Tyson is referring to when Mitchell contacted him over the offseason about “needing him” and his confidence in him stepping into a larger role. Mitchell admittedly didn't see the kind of year the sophomore swingman has had coming, averaging 13.5 points, 5.4 rebounds, and 2.2 assists in 27.4 minutes per game with the league's third-best three-point shooting percentage (45.6%) and a top-20 effective field goal percentage (60.0%).
It helps to have a shoulder to lean on when things go in a different direction, and that was the topic of a heart-to-heart conversation when the two were flying to LA together before the festivities began in mid-February.
“I was like, ‘Hey, it may not be a 40-point night for you. It may not be 30 a night. It may not be a start, it may not be this,'” Mitchell said. “I've told him, ‘Man, you've already shown you're capable. ‘You've already shown enough [than] more guys have done in their career, and you've shown in this in a little more half a year.'
“So for him to have his role adjust and to be okay with it is definitely impressive for a second-year guy. We're going to be on him, and he's going to have to continue to earn everything that he's doing. Nothing's given, but he's doing a good job. We've got to keep it going.”
Jaylon Tyson, the Cavs' directive, and the reality of the NBA
Since Cleveland shifted its roster with the acquisitions of James Harden, Dennis Schroder, and Keon Ellis, younger players have seen their responsibilities change and playing time decrease. Veterans have jumped them because of their experience and the need to acclimate to a new group. As a result, the players who've been praised throughout the season for their readiness have been knocked down a peg.
Craig Porter Jr. and Nae'Qwan Tomlin, for example, have been taken out of the current rotation. Tyson is still in the everyday lineup, but it's not in the same vein.
“Defend, rebound, limit mistakes, make shots. That's what it is,” Atkinson said. “Your package gets reduced in situations like this, and he understands that, and he's been great. I think he had that great stretch; that was kind of how he got in the rotation, right? But now, being forward and looking at the playoffs, that's kind of the role we're looking at.”
“With everybody coming back, once we get fully healthy, it's gonna be a lot of sacrifice that has to happen,” Tyson added. “Whatever that looks like, obviously, roles are gonna change. But just buying into that role and doing something bigger than any of us.”
Before Cleveland hosted the New York Knicks on Tuesday, Atkinson was surprisingly stern about Tyson, who played back-to-back games with under 17 minutes of playing time. Those were his lowest playing-time totals since late October.
Asked how he can get back to his usual amount of burn, Atkinson shared that Tyson and the role guys have to earn it because of the small window for Cleveland to put the pieces in place before the postseason.
“It'll play itself out. It's definitely a shift for him,” Atkinson said. “I understand that, as a young player, that's not easy. You go from scoring 39 points a couple of weeks ago to, ‘My minutes are reduced a little.' And I do think he had probably a couple of games where he wasn't playing at that elite level. We obviously added three new guys, three new rotation guys. So, it's just diced up a little differently.”
Tyson answers the call
Later that night, Atkinson praised Tyson for excelling at what was asked of him, particularly guarding Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns.
“That was kind of the blueprint right there,” Atkinson said. “Offensively, played in the short roll, hit the catch-and-shoot three, limited his mistakes, and then played darn good defense. We put him on KAT there, and he's big and strong enough to defend him and pressure him and bother him.
“Behind Dean, can he be that perimeter stopper? He's shown he can do it. He's done really well all year. As young players, [they] can make probably make a few more mistakes than a vet like Dean, but if he wants big playoff minutes, that's going to be it. Can you be our task defender? It's really trending positive: defensive numbers are good, size, obviously, a good rebounder. But there's growth there. It's really, ‘Cut down on the mistakes and be more solid [with] game plan stuff.'”
Tyson finished with 12 points, 8 rebounds, and 2 assists, recording a steal and a block each, only turning it over once. Mitchell was encouraged by Tyson's performance within the flow of the game.
“You look at him being the 5-man tonight, being him and playing the pick and roll,” Mitchell said. “Pass to him, he has a layup, he has a floater, he's making decisions. That's what we're going to need from him. That's his bread and butter.”
Empathizing with how he may feel, Atkinson believes Tyson is handling the transition well.
“I don't think it's easy for anybody, but he's an extremely mature guy,” Atkinson said. “He gets it. He's got great veteran support that, not just the coaches, but vets that explain to him what this looks like, and we have these discussions as a team. And it's not just Jaylon, right? It's other role players. It's Keon. It's Dennis. It's just part of this situation when you have a lot of good players on your roster.”
Who knows how his role will be affected with Harden's broken right thumb? He won't likely be suiting up for 35 minutes a night as he did in Thursday's game against the Milwaukee Bucks, for instance, as Mitchell and Evan Mobley missed that game, too. Max Strus appears to be on the right track to be back at some point as well.
With Mitchell dealing with a bothersome groin, Ellis fracturing his left index finger, Schroder spraining his left ankle, and Dean Wade hurting his right ankle, Tyson will have to revert to his pre-trade duties. It's a constant push-and-pull.
But whatever is required of him, Tyson will put his head down and do whatever he's told to help the Cavs stack victories.
“I feel like it's just part of the NBA,” Tyson added. “Unless you're a superstar, your role's gonna change, and I feel like the best role players adapt to that. That's one thing that I'mma have to learn to do. I'm okay with it, right, because obviously, I just want to win. James being here, he wants to win.
“I want to be a piece to help him win that and get that ring; the city of Cleveland, Donovan, everybody. I want to be a piece to help them.”
