Cavs’ Jaylon Tyson shares what Donovan Mitchell ‘put into his head’ before the season

Cleveland Cavaliers second-year swingman Jaylon Tyson has made so many strides this season. Whether it was his current top-five three-point shooting to become a defensive staple, he was essential to the team. Cavs All-Star point guard Donovan Mitchell preached Tyson’s MVP case and believed in him from the moment he stepped foot in Cleveland.

With a strong connection off the field, the pairing works seamlessly. The two’s short link is a weapon for Kenny Atkinson and the Wine and Gold, with Mitchell holding the ball while Tyson sets up a high screen in the middle. There are plenty of options stemming from the action on the ball screen: Tyson rolls to the right elbow, jumps to the opposite wing or acts as bait for Mitchell’s next move.

“I think we’re obviously working on that in practice,” Tyson said at practice earlier this month. “Donovan kind of put it in my head earlier in the year, so we worked on that in training camp, and just my ability to be able to make quick reads from that, I could pass out. Also, working on that little floater. I feel like that’s helped me, but just seeing different reads is helping me grow on that.

“Obviously I’m still young and trying to figure that part out. But the more I see different coverages, how they’re guarded, the more confident I get.”

Of his 178 field goal assists, Mitchell assisted on a team-high 40. Around the NBA Summer League, the veteran remembers texting Tyson that Cleveland should play a big role.

“I just explained to him that he’s going to have a vital role in what we’re doing,” Mitchell said. “To his credit, he put all the work into himself. He comes in, watches film. He always listens. Even when he has missteps, we’ll accept his mistakes because they’re aggressive, they have the right mindset.”

“Even if he doesn’t keep his scoring high, I tell him, ‘Look, if you’re playing in the half-roll, I don’t care if you score 20, if you score zero points. Bruce Brown, Royce O’Neal, those two guys, Josh Hart, made a killing in the half-roll. Like, you can be that.’ And kudos to him for doing that, and also for being able to go out and have 10 and 13 on certain nights. He did a phenomenal job.”

Jaylon Tyson earns praise

Cavs coach Kenny Atkinson repeatedly praised Tyson for the job he did. He went into the specifics of what it takes to be successful in the shortstop role.

“You have to be able to get in and out of the roll quickly,” Atkinson said. “I always feel like you have to turn your hip really well, like from a physical point of view, to hit. And then, you become the decision maker. So I would say the physical part, the technique on it, the hip turn, and then when you catch it inside, you have this landscape, right? Is it the rim? Is it hitting the dunk? Is it our layup? Is it becoming such a big player, No.

Averaging 1.05 points per possession in action, Tyson wasn’t perfect like a rollman, but he was on time. He made the right call on more than one occasion, whether it was a quick tear or a pass to the cutter at critical moments.

Mitchell saw vision when the Cavs remained in the second tier, as Tyson averaged 13.7 points, 5.5 rebounds and 2.2 assists per game on .513/.462/.757 shooting. He plays nearly 28 minutes a night, ranks fifth in three-point percentage and 13th in effective field goal percentage (61.4%).

“There will be days when I come to the gym and I can’t throw a pebble in the ocean,” Tyson said. “The people around me and my coaches and the staff here, they just tell me, just keep shooting, keep shooting, have confidence, and we need you to make that shot. So in the end, my mentality got a lot better…

“I think Larry (Nance Jr.) told me that this opportunity that you have in front of you and not a lot of people. Obviously we’ve had a few injuries, they’ve opened up space for me to play and say, ‘Hey, like, you’ve got to take advantage of it. Because a lot of people don’t get this opportunity.’ I feel like that stuck with me, and it’s been with me all year.”