With two minutes and twenty-one seconds left in Game 6, Jaylon Tyson entered the game against the Detroit Pistons. It was his first action of the night, and he only put his shoe against the wood because the Cleveland Cavaliers were losing by 21 points.
It was a tough fall from Game 2, when he played 22 minutes and was considered the team’s best defensive option against All-NBA guard Cade Cunningham. It was clear evidence that Tyson is one of the Cavaliers who were pushed out when head coach Kenny Atkinson tightened his rotation.
The Cleveland Cavaliers have decided that less is more against the Pistons, and Atkinson is relying solely on Dennis Schroder, Max Strus and Sam Merrill off the bench. That means players who were in the rotation last series, or even during parts of this series, are now on the outside looking in.
No. 1: Jaylon Tyson
Honestly, it’s shocking that Tyson found himself pushed out of the rotation. We predicted that would be the case before the playoffs began, but instead he proved to be a valuable player in the first and second rounds, making shots and defending hard. With Dean Wade starting, it seemed like the Cavs needed a bench option with his size and length.
Unfortunately, Tyson was cold in the last three games, playing a total of 13 minutes, most of it in garbage time. The Cavaliers have opted to go small, putting three guards on the court at any time except their initial appearance. This despite the size of the Pistons, who have a 6-foot-6 guard and only one player shorter than him in the rotation.
Will Atkinson return to Tyson in Game 7?
No. 2: Thomas Bryant
Wait, Thomas Bryant was in the rotation? It was for an instant.
In Game 1, with Jarrett Allen fouling out some early, Kenny Atkinson turned to Thomas Bryant. Given the size of the Pistons, it wasn’t unthinkable that a double-big look could be valuable for most of the game.
That idea quickly dissipated, in large part because Bryant was abysmal. He shot 1-for-4 and was a defensive nightmare, with the Pistons steamrolling him and only hot shooting from his teammates keeping him from having a +/- worse than his -3.
Bryant, rightfully so, hasn’t played a competitive minute since.
No. 3: Keon Ellis
The definitive criticism of the Cavaliers’ midseason trade to send De’Andre Hunter to the Sacramento Kings comes in this series, when Dennis Schroder has largely become a pumpkin again and Keon Ellis can’t even see the court.
He was supposed to be the perfect player to partner Donovan Mitchell on the bench units, a perimeter stopper and takedown shooter who deserved more minutes in Sacramento. Except maybe he didn’t.
Ellis has the build of a green bean and the Pistons have gone through him when he has taken the court. He can’t expect to stop anyone in his rotation, as Cunningham is too big for him and both Daniss Jenkins and Ausar Thompson are too strong. Who is he supposed to defend?
Ellis is unlikely to see the court in Game 7, and that will have major implications for his free agency this summer. For now, he joins Bryant and Tyson on the sidewalk as they cheer on their team in a pivotal game on Sunday.
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