Jaylon Tyson's breakout campaign in his sophomore season has earned him 35 starts with the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2025-26. On Thursday night, with a relatively healthy Cavaliers team, that was not where the second-year wing found himself.
Tyson came off the bench against the Brooklyn Nets. It worked out for Cavs as they hammered the Nets in a decisive 112-84 win at Rocket Arena. Granted, the barrier of entry to beating Brooklyn this season is not all too high. The tanking franchise would even thank you for giving them a loss, too.
Dean Wade got the start in place of Tyson on the evening. The Cavs forward finished with 11 points and five rebounds, shooting 4-of-4 from the field and 3-of-3 from beyond the arc. Tyson's production off the bench was not too different, also scoring 11 points and pulling down five rebounds.
There was a big difference in how both of them got to their similar statistical nights. It also may serve as the reason why Kenny Atkinson could be making the right call in the short and long term, despite Tyson more than proving he belongs with the starters by now.
Jaylon Tyson could find more opportunities for growth coming off the bench
Before the James Harden trade, sliding Tyson up to the starting five made a ton of sense. All the numbers suggested the Cavs wing was an excellent fit with the core four.
The dynamic with Harden as the lead guard is not quite the same. The all-time great demands the ball in his hands much more. While no one should be misled into believing Harden is a ball hog, there would inevitably be less offensive opportunity for Tyson in a starting five with him, Donovan Mitchell, Evan Mobley, and Jarrett Allen.
That is where Wade comes in.
The Cavs veteran is a lot more low maintenance on the offensive end. Wade's primary role among the starters can focus on the defensive side of the basketball. The 29-year-old does not need a big shot diet.
Tyson, and his continued development, would certainly enjoy the ability to take more of those opportunities. Coming off the bench against the Nets allowed him 10 field goal attempts, six more than Wade who started the game.
There is more need for Tyson's self-creation and shot-making off the bench with the way the team is contructed now. That should help him not go ingored in the offense with so many options now consistently available for the Cavaliers.
Whether this deployment of the rotations was a short-term move or a long-term fix is still unclear. It's only been one game after all. However, the Cavaliers' choice is certainly not devoid of sound logic despite Tyson proving himself as a rising star.