Jaylon Tyson’s breakout has been one of the best silver linings of the Cleveland Cavaliers’ season. The Cavs officially made a smart draft selection in snagging Tyson with the 20th overall pick in 2024. His recent 39-point explosion against the Philadelphia 76ers provided the greatest piece of evidence.
Tyson is now averaging 17.8 points and 7.1 rebounds per 36 minutes in 2025-26, and the Cavs would be foolish to downplay his impact. Kenny Atkinson has been rolling with Tyson in the starting lineup, and that’s how things should remain, even once Max Strus returns to action.
Jaylon Tyson has earned a permanent spot in the Cavs starting lineup
Tyson is averaging just 27.4 minutes per game so far this season (39 games played, 24 starts). That number needs to be higher from here on out. He should be Cleveland's fifth starter alongside the core four moving forward.
If you’re looking for a point of comparison with Tyson, his 13.5 points per game and 5.4 rebounds per game aren’t far off from Jimmy Butler’s production during the first six seasons of Butler’s career, which Jimmy spent with the Chicago Bulls.
Butler averaged 15.6 points and 4.8 rebounds per game during his Bulls tenure, but he averaged 32.3 minutes per game, a much higher number than Tyson’s 2025-26 figure as of now.
We all know what Butler became once he left Chicago. This isn’t to say that Tyson has superstar potential, but he’s certainly showing signs that his floor is that of a starting wing on a contender.
Tyson is shooting an absurd 44.0 percent from 3 in his NBA career so far (86 games), a number that simply has to drop at some point. But again, even if this figure is a bit bloated right now due to a small sample size, it’s an indication that Tyson’s floor as a 3-point shooter is very promising.
What else do the Cavs need to see from Tyson to be convinced that he’s the starting wing they’ve been searching for? He’s been a winning player on both sides of the ball, he’s unafraid of big games, and he’s clearly outplayed De’Andre Hunter in every facet.
The best news of all for Cleveland is that Tyson isn’t costing them anything. His $3.5 million salary turns into a $3.7 million team option for next season, followed by a $5.6 million team option in 2027-28. That’ll look like one of the best 10 contracts in the NBA if Tyson maintains anything close to his current production. The Cavs have found their wing. Time to trade Hunter, Strus, or maybe both.