Cavaliers Fans Will Be Fired Up Over This Jaylon Tyson Prediction

Cleveland Cavaliers rookie Jaylon Tyson looked terrific in NBA Summer League and may be earning himself a rotation spot next season.

Jaylon Tyson of the Cleveland Cavaliers drives past Moses Brown at the Thomas & Mack Center. / Candice Ward/Getty Images

Cleveland Cavaliers rookie Jaylon Tyson was mighty impressive in NBA Summer League, averaging 15.4 points, seven rebounds and 4.4 assists per game on 58.8/40.0/91.7 shooting splits.

Obviously, the level of competition is a caveat, but still, that is unquestionably an eye-opening showing from a guy who wasn't even drafted in the lottery (Tyson went 20th overall).

So can Tyson carve out a significant role on the Cavaliers during his rookie campaign?

Bleacher Report's Jonathan Wasserman seems to think so.

In a piece where Wasserman assessed all 30 first-round draft picks, he labeled Tyson a potential key contributor off Cleveland's bench as a "wing creator."

Wasserman said that while the Cavs have some established veteran swingmen in their bench rotation (such as Caris LeVert and Sam Merrill), Tyson may play his way into regular minutes thanks to his combination of shotmaking and playmaking.

One thing Wasserman missed was Tyson's defensive prowess.

For as good as Tyson looked offensively during Summer League, the Cavaliers primarily drafted him for his defensive chops and ability to guard multiple positions.

Cleveland is in desperate need of a long defend who can guard the bigger wings in the Eastern Conference, and Tyson may be able to fill that role.

Tyson's emergence as a possible key role player also makes restricted free agent Isaac Okoro that much more expendable, and if the Cavs do ultimately part ways with Okoro, it will open up that much more playing time for Tyson.

The Cavaliers did not sign anyone in free agency this offseason, so barring a trade, Tyson could end up being their most significant addition heading into the 2024-25 campaign.