3 Cleveland Cavaliers Players With Most To Gain In Preseason

Here are the three Cleveland Cavaliers players with the most to gain in NBA preseason action.

Oct 12, 2023; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers guard Ty Jerome (2) drives to the basket against Orlando Magic guard Jett Howard (13) during the second half at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-Imagn Images / Ken Blaze-Imagn Images

Cleveland Cavaliers basketball is back. The Cavaliers will begin their preseason on Tuesday night as they get set to face the Chicago Bulls, and there is a lot at stake.

Okay, not for Donovan Mitchell and the rest of the core four, but for players fighting for playing time...and roster spots.

Here are the three Cavaliers players with the most to gain in preseason.

Jaylon Tyson

This one is pretty obvious.

Cleveland selected Jaylon Tyson in the first round of the NBA Draft, and while he was the 20th pick, he put forth a very impressive showing in Summer League.

Can that translate into the preseason and then, eventually, the regular season?

The Cavs really need Tyson to fill a role off the bench this year. They are in dire need of a big wing defender, and at 6-foot-6 and with a bulldog mentality, Tyson fits that description.

He also showed nice scoring ability at California and exhibited that in Summer League action, too. If he can put together a solid preseason, Tyson may end up establishing himself as a regular rotation member for the Cavaliers.

Ty Jerome

Cleveland could really use some backcourt depth, as Caris LeVert represents its only reliable bench scorer on the wing.

Can Ty Jerome step up and patch that hole?

Jerome played in only two games for the Cavs last year, but he was decent for the Golden State Warriors the season prior, averaging 6.9 points per game on 48.8/38.9/92.7 shooting splits.

The 27-year-old has clear ability on the offensive end of the floor, and while he doesn't exactly have elite athleticism, he has a good basketball IQ and seems to have a nice feel for the game.

There is a good chance that Jerome could work himself into a legitimate bench role.

Pete Nance

Pete Nance could be a wild card for the Cavaliers this coming season.

The University of North Carolina product—who is the brother of Larry Nance Jr.—appeared in eight contests for Cleveland in 2023-24, playing a grand total of 27 minutes.

However, with the Cavs needing another versatile big up front, Nance has a great opportunity to showcase his skills and become a contributing member.

Nance displayed the ability to space the floor in college, hitting on 34.7 percent of his threes across five seasons at Northwestern and North Carolina (he transferred to UNC for his final collegiate campaign). He even made 45.2 percent of his triples his last year at Northwestern.

With all of the talk about the Cavaliers needing a center who can shoot in order to stagger minutes with Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley, the answer could have been under their noses all along.