The Cleveland Cavaliers are currently sputtering.

On Wednesday, Dec. 3, the Cavaliers played host to the Portland Trail Blazers, falling in disappointing fashion, 122-110. The 12-point loss placed the team in a losing spell of four losses in five games. However, through the hiccups and bumps in the road, second-year pro Jaylob Tyson has continuously been a reliable presence on the court.

He played 33 minutes of action with 14 points, seven rebounds and two assists. Out of the entire Cavaliers’ roster, there are only three players who ended the game with a non-negative plus-minus.

Tyson finished with a +3, forward Evan Mobley finished with a +2 and Nae’Qwan Tomlin capped off 16 minutes of play time with a solid zero.

Although the team hasn’t been able to find many wins, there are some positives to hang their hats on, one of which is the play of 23-year-old Tyson. Just a few days back, he had a career-best performance of 27 points, 11 rebounds, four assists and one steal on splits of 76.9% from the field and 80% from deep.

That effort was good enough for a 135-119 win over the Indiana Pacers back on Monday.

Cavaliers head coach Kenny Atkinson has praised his hard work and leadership, especially when some of the veterans on the team have been absent on the court and in the locker room.

“He’s a little crazy — the vets respect him,” said Atkinson.

“He’s a little crazy — the vets respect him”

Kenny Atkinson on #Cavs sophomore Jaylon Tyson calling out the team for their lack of effort pic.twitter.com/OPSHcXR7he

— Tony Pesta (@Tony_Pesta) December 3, 2025

“He’s got no filter, in a good way. I know his brother plays football, so he’s got that football mentality in him, you know, he’s just brash.”

Tyson is entering the 19th game of the 2025-26 season with averages of 12.5 points, 5.0 rebounds and 1.8 assists a night. He’s also tacking on a consistent 1.2 steals a night, providing the Cavaliers with a much-needed defensive intensity.

Statistically, he’s also putting together the best shooting efficiency on the team this year with marks of 51.9% from the field and 47.6% from three-point range.

When you’re playing like that, you’re allowed to have that type of passion and energy. It’s clear that he wants to win and isn’t going to sit around and watch the team struggle with no response.

“We encourage that,” Atkinson said. “There’s no like ‘hey, be careful with your comments’, we rock with it, and the vets respect it because he plays so darn hard.”

His development has been one of the main bright spots to start the year, and if it continues, he will have a real possibility of winning the Most Improved Player award at the end of the season.

But for now, the focus is getting out of this slump the team’s currently in.

The Cavaliers next look to take on the San Antonio Spurs on Friday, Dec. 5, with tip-off slated for a 7:30 p.m. EST start. It will be a tough battle for Cleveland as the Spurs currently sit 15-6 on the year.

While Tyson and Mitchell have been dominant, Mobley will have all eyes on him as he matches up against superstar big man Victory Wembanyama.