Cleveland Cavaliers second-year guard Jaylon Tyson has gotten off to a strong start in the 2025-26 season, and it appears a text from teammate Donovan Mitchell has helped fuel his early-season success.
“The text message came in over the summer,” Cleveland.com’s Chris Fedor wrote.
“It was early in the morning, around 8 a.m. while second-year swingman Jaylon Tyson drove to Cleveland Clinic Courts — the Cavs’ practice facility; Tyson’s second home.
“Workout partners who have built a tight bond, Donovan Mitchell knew Tyson would be en route at that time — if not already there. Mitchell has become a mentor, a sounding board, an extra set of eyes in the film room.
“From afar, he wanted the youngster to know that he was thinking about him, that he believed in him, that he was going to challenge him and push him in Year 2.
“Be ready. We need you. This is your time. It’s what you’ve been waiting for and wanting. More will be expected. Be the spark. Be the energy. Everything else will take care of itself.
“That was the summary of Mitchell’s text, which remains on Tyson’s phone and has helped fuel an early-season breakout.”
Tyson shared how much the message from Mitchell meant to him, stating that the All-NBA guard has been something of a “big bro” to him.
“That text message meant the world,” Tyson told Cleveland.com. “It can’t get any better, right? He has kind of been like a big bro to me. I’m just blessed to call him my teammate. I read that text and I had a huge smile on my face. Getting to the facility that day, there was a different level of confidence. I feel like that’s what gave me the confidence to be able to come out here this season and be the player that I’ve been.”
Through seven games (five starts) in the 2025-26 season, Tyson is averaging 10.9 points, 2.7 rebounds and 1.6 assists per game for the Cavs while shooting 50.0 percent from the field and 44.1 percent from beyond the arc.
As a rookie, Tyson only played in 47 games (three starts) and averaged just 9.6 minutes per game. With guys like Darius Garland and Max Strus (and lately, Sam Merrill) missing time to begin the 2025-26 campaign, Tyson has become a staple in head coach Kenny Atkinson’s rotation, playing 24.3 minutes per night this season.
It’s great to see that Mitchell is motivating his younger teammate and acting as a mentor for Tyson as he navigates the early stages of his NBA career. Tyson was the No. 20 overall pick in the 2024 NBA Draft, and the Cavs are certainly hoping that he can be a key piece of their rotation for years to come.
So far this season, Cleveland is 4-3, as it knocked off the Atlanta Hawks on Sunday to get back over .500. Tyson played well in that matchup, scoring 18 points on 6-of-14 shooting from the field (and 5-of-11 shooting from 3-point range) while chipping in three rebounds and two assists.
If the Cavs want to make a deep playoff run in the Eastern Conference, Tyson may need to continue to be the “spark” that Mitchell challenged him to be in his text message.
