The Cleveland Cavaliers reshaped their wing room with Peyton Watson's acquisition, and Jaylon Tyson should be one of the key beneficiaries.
After trading for Peyton Watson, the Cleveland Cavaliers added to their wing room, which includes Jaylon Tyson, Sam Merrill, and the recently signed Mario Hezonja.
Reshaping and upsizing their roster, the Cleveland Cavaliers have plenty of options to go with at the small forward position in 2026-27. The two newest players in the building, Watson and Hezonja, stand 6-foot-8 and complement their new teammates in the best of ways.
Following Watson's acquisition, there have been assumptions that the Cavs don't trust Tyson to be a prominent figure in the rotation. In actuality, beefing up a position of need in a stacked Eastern Conference reinforces the organization's belief in the third-year swingman.
Competing in the NBA nowadays requires size and skill, meaning depth on the wing and options at the 3. Cleveland head coach Kenny Atkinson now has that luxury at his disposal. Putting too much on Tyson's plate could've been a detrimental mistake; instead, having Watson in the starting five will allow each to thrive.
In the latest episode of Courtside with Cavs, Spencer German and I envisioned Tyson's role and what it could look like with Watson in town:
I see those two playing together a ton. They're really bullish on JT's future with this team, and just putting Peyton Watson next to him, I feel like you can have multiple wings on the floor. Now, you have an option behind them with Mario Hezonja.
All of a sudden, you have a couple of guys who are 6-6 to 6-8 that you can throw out there. You did not have that last year, and you have a bit more of bigger guards, too. You're going to have a little bit bigger lineups now. Maybe not necessarily in terms of strength, but in length and skill, you got better in that sense.
Cavs president of basketball operations Koby Altman has gone out of his way to discuss Tyson's place in the team's plans multiple times, so there is clear excitement surrounding the direction he's going after a breakout sophomore campaign. Donovan Mitchell has also repeatedly endorsed Tyson's improvements and contributions, which shows his level of belief in the 23-year-old.
Tyson is coming off a career season, where he averaged 13.2 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 2.2 assists per game on .493/.446/.738 shooting splits. He was one of the top three-point shooters in the NBA and brought an edge to the game every time his number was called.
