Cavaliers Coach Commends Rookie For 'Really Good' Second NBA Start

Cleveland Head Coach Kenny Atkinson praised Jaylon Tyson for how he played in his second career NBA start on Wednesday night against the Miami Heat.
Jan 29, 2025; Miami, Florida, USA;  Cleveland Cavaliers forward Jaylon Tyson (24) takes a shot over Miami Heat forward Duncan Robinson (55) during the first half at Kaseya Center. Mandatory Credit: Jim Rassol-Imagn Images
Jan 29, 2025; Miami, Florida, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers forward Jaylon Tyson (24) takes a shot over Miami Heat forward Duncan Robinson (55) during the first half at Kaseya Center. Mandatory Credit: Jim Rassol-Imagn Images / Jim Rassol-Imagn Images
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The Cleveland Cavaliers were without seven players for their game against the Miami Heat on Wednesday night, including star point guard Darius Garland (rest).

With Garland absent, Cleveland needed to put a new player into their starting lineup.

The Cavaliers ultimately decided on rookie forward Jaylon Tyson, who ended up making his second career NBA start. This decision paid off, as the Wine and Gold came away with a wire-to-wire 126-106 win over the Heat.

The 2024 first-round pick recorded four points, five rebounds, and four assists in 29 minutes of action. He also had one of the strongest positive impacts on the floor, as his +15 plus/minus was tied for the second-highest in the contest.

After the game, Cleveland Head Coach Kenny Atkinson was pleased when reflecting on Tyson's performance.

"Really good," Atkinson said. "We put him out there for defense and rebounding, and task accomplished. I think we debated starting Ty [Jerome] or him, and I think we just went with size, rebounding, defense. And played his role perfectly."

A basketball player wearing a black uniform shooting a basketball over another basketball player wearing a white uniform.
Jan 29, 2025; Miami, Florida, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers forward Jaylon Tyson (24) takes a shot over Miami Heat forward Duncan Robinson (55) during the first half at Kaseya Center. Mandatory Credit: Jim Rassol-Imagn Images / Jim Rassol-Imagn Images

This was Tyson's first start since his historic first-ever NBA start back on Nov. 20 against the New Orleans Pelicans. On Wednesday night, he played a key role in a Cavaliers effort that outrebounded Miami 47-35 and forced 14 Heat turnovers to Cleveland's seven.

Tyson could potentially see increased playing time with the Wine and Gold's current wing injuries. Dean Wade (right knee bone bruise) is set to be re-evaluated in approximately two weeks, Isaac Okoro (right shoulder AC joint sprain) has missed Cleveland's last seven games, and Caris LeVert (right wrist sprain) has missed the team's last six contests.

Tyson and the Cavaliers will seek their third straight win when they host the Atlanta Hawks on Thursday night at 7 p.m.


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Logan Potosky
LOGAN POTOSKY

Logan Potosky is an aspiring play-by-play sports broadcaster who, to date, has called approximately 350+ hours of professional, college, and high school sporting events. He is currently the Play-by-Play Broadcaster for the Lake County Captains, the High-A Affiliate of the Cleveland Guardians. He graduated from John Carroll University in May of 2023 with a degree in Communication, with a concentration in Digital Media, and a minor in Entrepreneurship.