After deviating from their original practice plans on Thursday, the Cleveland Cavaliers came back indoors on Friday, the fourth day of training camp at IMG Academy.
Cavs head coach Kenny Atkinson explained that they were initially supposed to return to the court following a track session to condition. Instead, Donovan Mitchell pleaded his case for the wine and gold to pick up the bats and gloves in the spirit of the MLB postseason.
“These are the decisions you make as a coach when your star player comes to say, ‘Hey, we want to play baseball,'” Atkinson said Friday. “I said, ‘Okay, we can play baseball, but if we're not gonna come over to the gym, we're gonna have to practice longer tomorrow.' It was amazing. We got more out of the baseball than what we ever would've gotten coming over here and installing: the camaraderie… It was a great suggestion by Don.”
Honoring the agreement, Mitchell and the Cavs went extra long at practice on Friday.
Jaylon Tyson has an open seat at the table.
On multiple occasions since the end of last season, Atkinson has gone out of his way to say good things about Jaylon Tyson's place in Cleveland. He's investing a lot of belief in the 22-year-old swingman heading into his second season.
“He's taken a step physically,” Atkinson said Friday. “He's always in great shape, but he looks stronger, finishing better at the rim. I think you remember last year, sometimes he had some problems finishing at the rim. He just told me and said his shot feels as good as it's ever been.”
Tracking shooting in open gym, Tyson ranked fourth among the team's long list of 3-point threats.
“He's doing all the things role players should do, cutting, he's an excellent rebounder, so doing that too, running the court,” said Atkinson, who's attempting to help Tyson understand he won't have the ball in his hands as much as he did in the summer and in college.
“Man, that kid, he's hungry,” Mitchell added. “I've never seen a kid come out and lead his team in scoring in college, shoot every shot, every single shot, and then come in here and say, ‘Hey, I want to play in the half roll, I want to screen and get you guys open. I want to defend.' Like, that mentality is the sense of maturity that you want to have out of a young guy. And I respect that.”
Spida's challenge to Tyson is to guard him each time in live runs and battle with him back and forth.
“He's one of our best in shape, most in-shape players that we have right now,” Mitchell said. “He's made me a better player. When you have a guy that's [22] years old, being able to do that shows what level of maturity, shows that he's ready. He's hungry, he's working on his jump shot, working on being smart, showing his hands, not fouling. I think that'll come a long way for us. He's going to take a big step for us, and a lot of people are going to start to realize who Jaylon Tyson is after this season.”
Tyson revealed that he studied what happened in the Indiana Pacers series to see where he could help, like defending tough assignments, knocking down open triples, and being a secondary ball-handler: “I kinda just found that little slot that I could plug into, and that's what I've been rolling on all year.
“Night and day better,” he added on Media Day about his progress. “I feel like I'm in great shape. I feel like I'm one of the best-conditioned players out here right now. I have a different mindset. I have a mindset of, ‘I'm gonna try to guard the best players.' I'm more confident in my abilities, understanding the system. I just feel like I'm overall a way better player.”
“We have an intent (with) something we try to emphasize, and then we gamify it, basically.”
If you’re into coaching methods, listen to the #Cavs staff approach to getting players to engage.
On Day 1, it was about getting the ball up the floor. pic.twitter.com/WpOht46faL
— Spencer Davies (@SpinDavies) October 1, 2025
Although Tyson got a taste of the NBA last season, it's a whole different animal taking on the responsibility over the course of a full year.
“I learned so much being there, but also watching, learning from the older guys,” Tyson said. “The biggest thing I would say I learned is [managing] the ups and downs, how to stay level-headed, even-keeled. In the NBA, there's a lot of games, a lot of opportunities; you're gonna have your best games and you're gonna have your worst games. Isaac (Okoro) had his thing: day by day. I kinda use that a lot. That helps me get through the rough days and the best days.”
“I mean, there's no time like the present, right?” Mitchell added. “Like, we can sit here and kind of try to get him along and show him film, but we're throwing him right in there. And you don't just do that for guys who aren't necessarily ready. I think it's something where you have to have that trust and belief in order to be able to do that. I think he's earned that. That's respect to him and what he's done to the point where I can tell him to get his ass out the gym to go sit down. But he's got great energy, great vibes, positive always, and wants to be great at what he does, and I respect that.”
Atkinson knows this will be a completely different level of throwing him into the fire.
“Hopefully, this blossoms into a steady role for him,” Atkinson added. “You've got to prove it. The only way we can evaluate that is through regular-season games; we're not gonna take three games and evaluate it. But sample size, you start getting 10, 15 games, then we can start looking at it. He's understanding better what we're looking for from him… My feeling is he's gonna make a jump, right? He's gonna be more comfortable out there… I'd be surprised if he doesn't cement himself in the rotation. I really would.”
On Monday, Tyson expressed his gratitude for how his team has backed him: “It means everything to have approval from your head coach, support from everybody. It means the world. I'm excited for the games to start so I can show what I've been working on.
Atkinson is thrilled with how the younger talent has performed overall. He mentioned Craig Porter Jr. and Tyrese Proctor and then acknowledged Nae'Qwan Tomlin's progress when ClutchPoints asked about the two-way forward.
“We're gonna have some decisions with these young guys,” Atkinson said. “There's a group of 'em that are gonna battle it out. I think Jaylon's got a little more experience, but we're gonna have some interesting decisions to make with those young guys and see who breaks into the rotation.”
Everybody will have the day off to enjoy Florida on Saturday before wrapping things up on Sunday with one last session. Then, it'll be time to get home and prepare for the Chicago Bulls in the team's preseason opener on October 7.
