The second-year leap is officially here for Jaylon Tyson. The former 20th overall pick has seen his playing time triple in his sophomore season, and with the improved production, he was a no-brainer selection for the NBA's Rising Stars team.
The 2026 Castrol Rising Stars NBA Sophomores ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/l2ltJY6ugw
— NBA Communications (@NBAPR) January 26, 2026
The California product showed glimpses of strong play in his first year in the league, even flirting with a triple-double in his first career start. Even so, he was a healthy scratch in nearly half of the games, averaging just 9.6 minutes a night in 47 appearances.
Then, with the front office not making many moves in free agency, Kenny Atkinson knew he had to give the 23-year-old a longer leash. So far, he's paid back the confidence, averaging 13.7 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 2.3 assists per game on 51-46-76 shooting splits.
Jaylon Tyson is finally getting some league-wide attention
As a team, the Cavs have regressed from one of the best seasons in franchise history -- and definitely the best in the post-LeBron James era. However, that has had little to do with Tyson, who continues to emerge as a high-IQ 3-and-D wing who just keeps getting better.
Tyson's rise in the pecking order isn't a coincidence. He's averaging 17.7 points and 7.2 rebounds per-36 minutes on elite efficiency. He's also holding his own on the defensive end of the floor.
Even though he was mostly an afterthought in his first year in the league, he's the type of hard-working player who got better in every year in college. There was no reason to believe that wouldn't be the case in the pros as well, even if he was older than the average second-year player in today's youth-filled NBA.
He will now be one of 11 sophomores who will take the court for the Rising Stars Game during the All-Star Weekend. All in all, there will be 28 players; ten rookies, eleven sophomores, and seven G-League players. Once again, the players will be divided into four teams and three games, and the event will take place on Feb. 13 at Intuit Dome.
Hall of Famers Tracy McGrady, Vince Carter, and Carmelo Anthony, plus former NBA guard Austin Rivers, will be the honorary coaches. Tyson will get to know his teammates on Tuesday night when the teams get drafted. Hopefully, the youngins will play much harder than those playing in the main event, which has become less competitive by the year.