Speaking to his development and the strides he made, the Cleveland Cavaliers couldn't have asked Jaylon Tyson for a better sophomore season. From the extra offseason work to Donovan Mitchell challenging him before training camp, the 23-year-old answered the bell and then some.

He went from being a rookie who was phased out by spring to assuming one of the most important roles on the team by the holidays in Year 2. When the Cavs got off to a shaky start and nearly dipped below .500, Tyson was the most vocal in public, holding the team accountable to the media. 

With Darius Garland dealing with injuries and De'Andre Hunter struggling, he and the "young guys" carried the Wine and Gold and kept the group afloat.

Tyson made a name for himself with incredible individual performances and clutch moments, including a 39-point career night in Philadelphia and a national television coming-out party against the star-studded Los Angeles Lakers. He was a secondary ball-handler, a third option, and an all-around contributor on both ends.

Mitchell couldn't stop speaking the world of him this season, which shows how much the Cavs superstar believes in the 6-foot-7 swingman. 

Unfortunately, once the trade deadline hit, Tyson's responsibilities shifted. He went from being an everyday starter, averaging 30 minutes per game, to coming off the bench, lucky to reach the low 20s in playing time as the eighth or ninth man. This coincided with Tyson suffering an ill-timed left great toe bone bruise.

That is a test of the mental for a young talent like that, and it feels like Cleveland head coach Kenny Atkinson may have gone away from him too easily when the group could've used a multi-faceted wing in the postseason.

Tyson didn't get completely frozen out of the playoffs, as he played at least 15 minutes in seven games. He did bring an outstanding effort in Game 7 against the Toronto Raptors in a win-or-go-home scenario, but other than that, it wasn't the Tyson of January and February. 

Cleveland president Koby Altman relayed that Tyson was disappointed in his first real postseason action and that he'll be chipping away in the summer to get better. It didn't help that Atkinson had such a short leash for him down the stretch, though.

REGULAR SEASON STATS

13.2 POINTS | 5.1 REBOUNDS | 2.2 ASSISTS | 49.3% FG | 44.6% 3PT | 73.8% FT

PLAYOFF STATS

4.1 POINTS | 2.8 REBOUNDS | 1.3 ASSISTS | 36.2% FG | 23.7% 3PT | 66.7% FT

Tyson will be a critical part of the Cavs moving forward. He'll be entering his third year with plenty of focus and determination, and the franchise will absolutely welcome a player of his caliber performing on a rookie-scale contract as it explores avenues to improve the roster before the next campaign.

Size and skill are a big part of Tyson's allure, and he only got better as a three-point shooter to boot. He's a tough rebounder, an irritant defensively, and well-conditioned. The more he learns the NBA game, the higher his ceiling will be. 

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