Is Jaylon Tyson more playoff-ready than Evan Mobley and Darius Garland?

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  1. Cavaliers
  • Published: Dec. 31, 2025, 5:15 a.m.

CLEVELAND, Ohio — The Cavs whitethorn person discovered their concealed playoff weapon, and it’s not 1 of their established stars.

According to nan latest Wine and Gold Talk podcast, second-year guardant Jaylon Tyson has emerged arsenic not conscionable a pleasant astonishment but perchance nan team’s astir playoff-ready performer speech from Donovan Mitchell — moreover compared to halfway stars for illustration Darius Garland and Evan Mobley.

In a connection that surely raised eyebrows crossed Cleveland, Cavs hit newsman Chris Fedor delivered this fiery assessment: “Stylistically, nan benignant of subordinate he is and nan things that he does, nan strength that he plays with, nan physicality that he plays with, nan mentality that he has, for illustration each of that stuff. Not from a accomplishment standpoint, not from a talent standpoint, from a readiness standpoint. I person much belief successful Jaylon Tyson arsenic a playoff performer than I do Darius Garland and Evan Mobley astatine this point. I conscionable do. And Jarrett Allen too, to beryllium honorable pinch you.”

The bold return came during a chat of Tyson’s singular improvement from an end-of-bench subordinate to what caput coach Kenny Atkinson now considers a morganatic rotation piece.

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Even much remarkably, Tyson presently leads nan Cavaliers successful 3-point percentage, outpacing established shooters for illustration Donovan Mitchell, Darius Garland and Sam Merrill.

“The Cavs person a bunch of dudes that person been historically really bully 3-point shooters,” Fedor explained connected nan podcast. “Sam Merrill is simply a prolific 3-point shooter. Donovan Mitchell speaks for itself. Darius Garland, aforesaid thing. Jaylon Tyson leads nan Cavs successful 3-point percentage.”

The podcast highlighted really nan Cavaliers’ erstwhile playoff shortcomings stemmed from a deficiency of toughness and strength erstwhile facing beingness opponents.

“What was nan point that we talked astir complete and complete and complete again pinch Indiana?” Fedor asked rhetorically. “They’ve sewage dogs, they’ve sewage irritants, they’re reliable minded, they’re physical, nan lights aren’t excessively agleam for them. The playoff level strength and physicality is not excessively overmuch for them. There are still questions to that level astir Evan and Darius and Jarrett.”

Podcast big Ethan Sands reinforced this assessment, noting Tyson’s unsocial operation of affirmative power and beingness toughness: “There’s nary 1 other different than Jaylon Tyson that matches that level of joyousness that Darius Garland plays with. And Darius Garland can’t play pinch nan aforesaid level of physicality that Jaylon Tyson can.”

Tyson’s accelerated improvement has earned him nan respect of Cleveland’s established stars, peculiarly Donovan Mitchell, who has reportedly taken nan young subordinate nether his wing.

According to Sands, Mitchell has “raved astir Jaylon Tyson and his power and his infectious attitude” and has moreover mentioned Tyson’s imaginable to go “a $20 cardinal a twelvemonth player.”

For a Cavaliers squad that has openly acknowledged its request for greater intelligence toughness, Tyson represents nan nonstop archetype of subordinate they’ve been missing.

As Fedor concluded successful nan podcast, “I conscionable consciousness for illustration location are definite guys that are built for nan moment, that are built for nan playoffs ... And I consciousness for illustration Jaylon Tyson is built that way.”

On a squad seeking its personality pinch nan playoffs looming, Tyson’s emergence couldn’t person travel astatine a amended clip for Cleveland.

Here’s nan podcast for this week:

This article was produced pinch assistance from AI devices and reviewed by Cleveland.com staff.

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