CLEVELAND, Ohio — The Cavs may have discovered their secret playoff weapon, and it’s not one of their established stars.
According to the latest Wine and Gold Talk podcast, second-year forward Jaylon Tyson has emerged as not just a pleasant surprise but potentially the team’s most playoff-ready performer aside from Donovan Mitchell — even compared to core stars like Darius Garland and Evan Mobley.
In a statement that surely raised eyebrows across Cleveland, Cavs beat reporter Chris Fedor delivered this fiery assessment: “Stylistically, the kind of player he is and the things that he does, the intensity that he plays with, the physicality that he plays with, the mentality that he has, like all of that stuff. Not from a skill standpoint, not from a talent standpoint, from a readiness standpoint. I have more belief in Jaylon Tyson as a playoff performer than I do Darius Garland and Evan Mobley at this point. I just do. And Jarrett Allen too, to be honest with you.”
The bold take came during a discussion of Tyson’s remarkable development from an end-of-bench player to what head coach Kenny Atkinson now considers a legitimate rotation piece.
Even more remarkably, Tyson currently leads the Cavaliers in 3-point percentage, outpacing established shooters like Donovan Mitchell, Darius Garland and Sam Merrill.
“The Cavs have a bunch of dudes that have been historically really good 3-point shooters,” Fedor explained on the podcast. “Sam Merrill is a prolific 3-point shooter. Donovan Mitchell speaks for itself. Darius Garland, same thing. Jaylon Tyson leads the Cavs in 3-point percentage.”
The podcast highlighted how the Cavaliers’ previous playoff shortcomings stemmed from a lack of toughness and intensity when facing physical opponents.
“What was the thing that we talked about over and over and over again with Indiana?” Fedor asked rhetorically. “They’ve got dogs, they’ve got irritants, they’re tough minded, they’re physical, the lights aren’t too bright for them. The playoff level intensity and physicality is not too much for them. There are still questions to that level about Evan and Darius and Jarrett.”
Podcast host Ethan Sands reinforced this assessment, noting Tyson’s unique combination of positive energy and physical toughness: “There’s no one else other than Jaylon Tyson that matches that level of joy that Darius Garland plays with. And Darius Garland can’t play with the same level of physicality that Jaylon Tyson can.”
Tyson’s rapid development has earned him the respect of Cleveland’s established stars, particularly Donovan Mitchell, who has reportedly taken the young player under his wing.
According to Sands, Mitchell has “raved about Jaylon Tyson and his energy and his infectious attitude” and has even mentioned Tyson’s potential to become “a $20 million a year player.”
For a Cavaliers team that has openly acknowledged its need for greater mental toughness, Tyson represents the exact archetype of player they’ve been missing.
As Fedor concluded in the podcast, “I just feel like there are certain guys that are built for the moment, that are built for the playoffs ... And I feel like Jaylon Tyson is built that way.”
On a team seeking its identity with the playoffs looming, Tyson’s emergence couldn’t have come at a better time for Cleveland.
Here’s the podcast for this week: