‘I don’t think I’ve reached that standard yet’

Although there wasn’t much to like The Cleveland Cavaliers’ last loss to the Boston Celtics was 125-105 at TD Garden, Jaylon Tyson proved to be a bright spot.

The Cavs second-year drew his third start of the campaign and delivered with Sam Merrill is out with a right hip contusionscoring a season-high 19 points on 8 of 11 from the field. He moved without the ball, made himself available and was as good at finishing at the rim as he has been since being drafted by Cleveland last year.

Tyson was everywhere on a night when the Cavs couldn’t get a sniff of the ball. He played aggressively on both ends, jumped the floor for extra possessions and did his best to keep Cleveland in a game it shouldn’t have been in.

However, offense is not Tyson’s main focus for this wine and gold team. With a ton of talent on the roster, he and Craig Porter Jr. drew the player cards. They are there to defend hard, make opponents work for their baskets and grab rebounds.

In some ways, his postgame interview after Monday’s win in Detroit foreshadowed his next performance.

“My whole career, I’ve always been score, score, score. Attack, attack, attack,” Tyson told ClutchPoints and two other reporters after the win. “I’ve never been known as a defender, so I might change that … that’s why I say I’m not worried about the offensive stuff. The offensive stuff will come within the flow, and whenever I get more reps with them.”

“I’m not used to playing defense at this high level, but I mean, that’s the role that I have and that’s the role that I have to take on for this team. They give us the confidence to do it, and I trust my teammates. They’ve got my back. So that’s all I can do.”

Cavs All-Star guard Donovan Mitchell has spoken of his respect for Tyson since the start of training camp.

“Man, that kid, he’s hungry,” Mitchell said. “I said this last year, I’ve never seen a kid go out and lead his team in scoring in college, shoot every shot, every single shot, and then come here and say, ‘Hey, I want to play the half role, I want to screen and get you open. I want to defend.’ Like, that mentality is the sense of maturity you want from a young guy.”

On Wednesday, Tyson guarded Derrick White, Peyton Pritchard and Jaylen Brown for more than two minutes a game, according to NBA Stats. Among those assignments, he allowed only one white triple. Pritchard missed all four of his attempts, while Brown got a shot against him.

Defense tracking data can be tricky, but Tyson was as aggressive as anyone on the ball defensively through five games. Take the 21 total fouls as proof of that. However, it also makes sense to look a list of his guard duties: Cam Thomas, Cade Cunningham, Jalen Brunson, Brown and White.

“Kind of convenient,” Tyson said. “I like to play physical. Just those little plays, those little tic-tac-toe fouls that I do, I have to take that away. But I feel like I’m competing at a high level, and that’s all I can ask for myself as long as I play hard and live with the results.

“That just comes with playing the game and understanding the game, understanding the tendencies of the players. I feel like personnel is a big thing for me that I have to learn. Obviously when I was in college, we didn’t do that much. So understanding the personnel of players like Jalen Brunson, like Cam Thomas, they like to bait, so they know when to show, but it’s time to show.

On the other hand, Tyson’s pressure on the ball is a key reason why Cleveland ranks fourth in the NBA with 9.8 steals per game.

Being among the league leaders in fouls can be seen as a negative, but Cleveland head coach Kenny Atkinson is “okay with that.”

“Just not opening night, fouling four three-point shooters. The ones we’re not okay with,” Atkinson said. “But there’s a trade-off, isn’t there, when you grow bigger and when you’re more physical, that’s a trade-off. We’re going to have some games where we give up a decent amount of free throws, but we’re willing to live with that.”

Cavs swingman Jaylon Tyson expects more from himself

Tyson is a player who wears his heart on his sleeve and will always be his first critic.

“It’s so hard,” Tyson said of getting used to his role. “Obviously, this is my second year. Like, you want everything now, everything now. You want to be this. You want to be that. But realize it’s going to be a process, right? You’re going to have to take baby steps, baby steps. That’s the way this league is. That’s the way this league is.”

“I feel like it’s a process for me. I just understand, ‘Okay, this year: hit open shots, play defense, bring energy.’ So simple, right? Everything else will fall in line with these players.”

Offensively, Tyson knows he has a lot to do. Whether it’s timing his cuts correctly, keeping his spacing at the right moments, or making the correct “yellow” reads, it will all come with experience.

Before this season, he told the Cavs he would do whatever it takes to get on the court, and so far, despite the bumps in the road, the returns have been promising.

“He’s going to take a big step for us and a lot of people are going to start to understand who Jaylon Tyson is after this season,” Mitchell said in early October.

“I didn’t play my best basketball,” Tyson added. “A lot of indecisiveness, a lot of undisciplined play. It was solid, I would say, but I know the type of player I am and I know what I can be, and I don’t think I’ve reached that standard yet. But obviously it’s a long season, so I’ve got plenty of time.”