CLEVELAND, Ohio — By the time Cleveland escaped with a 117-115 thriller over Philadelphia, Jaylon Tyson’s career-defining 39-point eruption had forced a full-on rethink of what he might be capable of.
That recalibration carried straight into the Wine and Gold Talk Podcast, where a routine breakdown of a hard-nosed victory turned into a breathless reassessment of Tyson’s ceiling — and the uncomfortable realization that it might sit far higher than anyone had been willing to admit.
“But I just saying for this to happen at all, for Jaylon Tyson to have this in him at all is at least a blink on a potential All-Star potential path down the road,” admitted Jimmy Watkins, cleveland.com columnist, still processing what he had witnessed.
The numbers alone tell a remarkable story: Tyson dropped 39 points on a hyper-efficient 13-of-17 shooting, becoming the first Cavalier to score that many points on 17 or fewer field goal attempts since Kevin Love in February 2017.
But it wasn’t just the scoring total that had the podcast hosts rethinking Tyson’s trajectory - it was how he delivered when it mattered most.
“The Cavs do not win this game without Jalen Tyson,” declared Ethan Sands, Wine and Gold Talk host. “Career night, 39 points and the play that ultimately decided the game was not even a made basket from him. It was a game-winning assist on a busted ATO where the read was everything.”
That game-winning assist - a wraparound pass to Evan Mobley after drawing two defenders on a drive - demonstrated the poise and court vision of a veteran, not a second-year player thrust into a high-pressure situation.
What makes this performance even more significant is its historical context.
As Watkins, who classifies this season as a redshirt rookie year for Tyson, pointed out: “When you go into basketball reference and ask how many Rookies have scored 39 points in a game before since 2000, you only get 23 names and 12 of them have been All Stars.”
Beyond the scoring, Tyson’s defensive assignment against Tyrese Maxey showed his two-way potential. While Maxey got his points at times, Tyson’s never-quit attitude impressed the podcast hosts.
“He never gives up, he never gets discouraged,” Watkins observed.
Tyson’s development as a shooter has been perhaps the most unexpected element of his game.
Currently hitting 47.5% from 3-point range on 4.3 attempts per game across 38 contests, he has become one of the team’s most reliable outside threats - a remarkable development for a player who wasn’t projected to be an elite shooter coming out of college.
The 20th pick in the 2024 draft, Tyson represents a massive win for Cleveland’s front office, especially considering it was the last pick the Cavaliers controlled for several years due to the Donovan Mitchell trade.
“These moves around the margins are so important for a team in the Cavs position when your roster is basically set,” Watkins explained, “and they have nailed a lot of them. Jalen Tyson, the most shining example.”
As the Cavaliers continue their push toward the playoffs, they suddenly find themselves with an emerging star who could potentially alter their ceiling as a team.
If Tyson’s career night against Philadelphia proves to be not just a flash but a glimpse of what’s to come, Cleveland’s front office deserves all the credit for unearthing a gem that’s rapidly becoming one of the league’s most promising young talents.
Here’s the podcast for this week: