In ten years, they'll ask where you watched Jaylon Tyson's coming out party on Christmas Day 2025. You can tell them you were in Madison Square Garden when it happened if you want, I won't correct you.
The game at large was a pretty big bummer, of course; the Cavs blew a big lead, falling to the Knicks 126-124. But it's Christmas, so I'm taking the jolly route and staying positive today. Tyson's 16 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists, one steal, and one poster dunk served as a great introduction from the 23 year-old to the NBA world, most of whom watched him play for the first time today.
This wasn't a one-off or a random good game, either. Tyson has been one of the best stories of the NBA season and has developed into exactly the player Cleveland believed he could become. He changes a lot for this franchise if he can be the player he was today, everyday.
Jaylon Tyson continues his rise in his second season
Tyson didn't come out of nowhere; he was the Cavs' first-round pick last year (No. 20 overall). But he didn't have tons of hype surrounding him unless you were scouring the depths of NBA Draft Twitter, so his breakout in 2025-26 still feels surprising.
His production this season (he's averaging over 13 points, and shooting over 40% from 3-point range) isn't merely a luxury for the Cavs, either. They have needed every point, rebound, and hustle play that Tyson can provide with De'Andre Hunter struggling so mightily from the field (31.1% from 3PT).
Today's game was a perfect example of the numerous ways Tyson helps this Cavs team. It was also a perfect example of why he needs to be on the floor far more often.
There is far more nuance to on-off stats than this, but the Cavs are a better team when Tyson is on the floor than when De'Andre Hunter is on the floor in pretty much any statistic you look at. Yet today, Tyson just the eighth-most minutes on the team and eight minutes fewer than his season average. If you know why that was the case, please let me know.
Regardless, the world now knows something Cavs fans found out a few months ago — that Jaylon Tyson is the real deal. Let that be your takeaway from today's game if you want to keep your sanity.