PHILADELPHIA — Donovan Mitchell had something to say.
It didn’t matter what topic came first. Didn’t matter what the question was.
His response was going to be the same regardless — the start of Mitchell’s campaign for teammate Jaylon Tyson to receive some prestigious end-of-season hardware.
“If Jaylon Tyson is not the leader for Most Improved then I don’t know what the award is for,” Mitchell said late Friday night. “This is no disrespect to past winners. I don’t know who they have been. But I feel like a lot of the past winners have been top picks and they’re expected to be that. I promise you nobody in here said Jaylon Tyson was going to have a 39-point night against the Sixers, in Philly, with no D.G. (Darius Garland) and no Sam Merrill. I don’t mean any disrespect to anyone that has won it. But that’s what the award is for. It’s for guys like him where he catches everybody by surprise — in his second season.”
Mitchell picked the ideal night. The perfect platform too. Tyson’s career-high 39 points (on 13 of 17 from the field and 7 of 9 from 3-point range) and game-winning assist led the [short-handed Cavs to a gutsy 117-115 win over the Philadelphia 76ers on national TV](https://www.cleveland.com/cavs/2026/01/jaylon-tyson-punctuates-career-night-with-game-winning-assist-in-117-115-comeback-over-sixers.html).
Multiple Sixers diehards seated behind the media section kept repeating the same question: Who is this Tyson guy?
Guess the secret’s out.
“This whole year he’s been tremendous,” said veteran Lonzo Ball who triggered the inbounds pass that preceded Tyson’s clutch helper. “Not just tonight. Obviously, we had some guys out, so he stepped up and filled that role. We wouldn’t have won without him. The fact that he’s not in contention for Most Improved is actually alarming to me. Don’t know what the NBA is looking at. He definitely has my vote.”
Going into Friday’s game, Portland Trail Blazers swingman Deni Avdija — a one-time top 10 pick who was discarded by the Washington Wizards before reviving his career in Portland — was the betting favorite.
Sixteen others were labeled midseason contenders — from Atlanta All-Star hopeful Jalen Johnson to 2024 No. 3 overall pick Reed Sheppard.
Tyson wasn’t listed.
Maybe now he will get some recognition.
“He’s doing all this and yet, he is the same person,” Mitchell explained. “He does whatever helps the team. He has done everything that has been asked, kept a positive mindset and is eager to learn. That’s what I love about him.”
[Tyson earned Friday’s game ball — and an impromptu ice bath](https://www.cleveland.com/cavs/2026/01/its-something-i-will-never-forget-inside-cavs-jaylon-tysons-career-night.html) — primarily because of his scoring outburst, sizzling outside shooting and late-game unselfishness, taking the inbounds pass, driving baseline and dishing to Evan Mobley for the go-ahead dunk with 4.8 seconds left. But multiple Cavaliers were quick to point out Tyson’s impact at the other end of the floor, frustrating Philadelphia All-Star Tyrese Maxey again, holding him to 22 points on 9 of 23 shooting.
“To guard Tyrese Maxey the whole game for two straight nights and hold him to two inefficient nights, I mean, that’s an All-Star starter,” Mitchell said following the win. “You’re doing that as a second-year player while also hooping on the other end, that’s big time.”
The defensive stopper role is one Tyson takes pride in. He knew that was his best path to consistent playing time. It’s what Atkinson — and the Cavs — asked of Tyson coming into 2025-26. He’s starting to relish that nightly challenge.
The other stuff — hustle, energy, rebounding, cutting, shooting efficiency, three-level scoring, playmaking — only adds to his value. It’s been a drastic change from his frustrating rookie campaign, when he couldn’t even get on the court.
Tyson, the 20th pick of the 2024 draft, logged just 453 total minutes a year ago. He averaged a miniscule 3.6 points while shooting 43.0% from the field and 34.5% from beyond the arc, sometimes looking out of place, out of control and unplayable on a team with title aspirations.
“Everybody’s path is different,” Tyson said. “My path last year was to learn from really good vets on a really good team. Then just find my niche. I feel like I have found my niche on this team and I feel like I’m just playing my role. That’s really all I’m doing. I’m not doing nothing spectacular. We have really good players on this team who get paid a lot of money to do what they do, so I just play off them.”
The leap in Year 2 has been astronomical, with his points per game (13.4) increasing by nearly double digits while also becoming the NBA’s second most prolific 3-point marksman (47.5%).
“I wasn’t with him last year, but I know he had a long, tough year,” Ball said. “The sky is the limit for him. For him to come back this year and do this so soon, not a lot of second-year guys that don’t play their first year make this kind of jump.”
Certainly, sounds like a Most Improved Player candidate.