Cavaliers' Jaylon Tyson Hoping to Shine in Summer League

Taken by Cleveland with the 20th pick of the 2024 NBA draft, Tyson was impressive in summer league a year ago. He averaged 15.4 points and 7.0 rebounds in five games, scoring double digits four times and barely missing a triple-double vs. the Los Angeles Lakers.

“It looked like Tyson was going to be a massive hit for Cleveland. He was a dominant on-ball presence and was stuffing the stat sheet,” wrote the SB Nation site Fear the Sword. “Sadly, that didn’t translate to his rookie season with the Cavs.

“Tyson scarcely played in his first season. But there’s reason to believe he’ll be asked to carry a heavier load this year with Isaac Okoro and Ty Jerome off the roster.”

Jerome, 28, averaged a career-best 12.5 points last season but was traded this summer to the Memphis Grizzlies. Okoro, 24, who provided the Cavs with 6.5 points per game, was shipped to the Chicago Bulls last weekend. Both players are 6-5 shooting guards. 

“Cleveland could use another 6’5” player who can pass, dribble and shoot,” Fear the Sword suggested. “Tyson showed those skills last summer. Can he do it again?”

The Cavs’ site suggested that “Tyson and (third-year point guard Craig) Porter are the two players with the most riding on this week’s run in the desert.”

Tyson, Porter and 6-9 forward Nae’Qwan Tomlin are the only players on the  Cavs’ summer league roster who played on the NBA team a year ago. Tomlin scored 30 points on Thursday.

A 6-foot-6 wing, Tyson averaged 3.6 points and 2.0 rebounds in 47 games during his rookie campaign, seeing action primarily in garbage time on a deep, experienced team. 

In three starts, he produced 17.0 points, 7.7 rebounds and 5.0 assists and shot 48 percent from the field. He scored 31 points as a starter in the regular-season finale.

Tyson came to Cal as a junior for the 2023-24 campaign after one-year stints at Texas and Texas Tech. He averaged 19.6 points, 6.8 rebounds and 3.5 assists to earn All-Pac-12 honors.

MADY SISSOKO: The Bears' starting center last season, Sissoko did not see action Thursday in the Oklahoma Thunder's 90-81 victory over the Brooklyn Nets. He started all three games for OKC in its summer-league run at Salt Lake City, averaging 7.3 points and 7.7 rebounds while shooting 64 percent from the field in 19 minutes per outing.