Two hours before Jaylon Tyson's first start of the 2025-26 NBA season, the Cleveland Cavaliers picked up the third-year team option on his contract.
In his second-year debut, Tyson scored five points, grabbed two rebounds, dished out an assist, and committed two turnovers across 20 minutes of action. Jalen Brunson was his primary assignment, picking the New York Knicks star up full court and challenging him. According to NBA.com's matchup data, Brunson went 1 of 3 from the field, missing both of his three-point attempts and drawing two fouls with Tyson as his defender.
Despite the four fouls committed and the limited time because of them, the Cavs were pleased with how Tyson stepped up.
“I was really happy with the way he was guarding,” Donovan Mitchell said after the Cavs' 119-11 loss in New York. “Really, his first real start in a high-intensity situation like this, and you see how he's playing.”
Watching the film back, the day following, his teammates doubled down on that praise.
“Obviously, Jalen is one of the best guards we have in the league, so he's not gonna have too many tougher assignments than that,” Lonzo Ball said after Thursday's practice. “But I think he came in with the right mindset, the right energy. He just got called for some ticky-tack fouls early, and he can't let that affect him. But I've got a lot of confidence in him moving forward for sure.”
“I feel like he did great,” Tyrese Proctor added. “I mean, that's one hell of a guy to guard, especially opening night in the Garden. Obviously, Brunson's a great player. I thought JT did the job he needed. He's so quick and low to the ground, it's obviously going to bump you off balance here and there, but I think for the most part, he did a really good job.”
Defense is where Tyson wants to make his mark first and foremost. Aiming to bring the energy, speed up the opposing team's best players, and make his assignments as uncomfortable as possible, he used the term “pest.”
“[Be] that player that you don't want to play against,” Tyson said the day before the game. “Physicality, kinda similar to what Indiana did to us last year. Being something like that. Just get 'em out of rhythm.”
Despite the end result of the game, Tyson delivered on that promise. He'll continue to get the chances to keep doing so, too.
