SARASOTA, Fla. — The Cavs’ time at IMG Academy is coming to a close.
It’s been a week of basketball and bonding, complete with intense training sessions, bucket hats, impromptu baseball batting practice, cornhole tournaments, film sessions and team dinners — exactly what Cleveland wanted from its second training camp in Florida’s sun coast.
More Cavs coverage
Who steps up with Ty Jerome’s ‘irrational confidence’ gone from the Cavs?
Lonzo Ball is ‘turning heads’ at Cavs camp, but his long-term health remains the biggest question mark
How will the Cavs fill the void left by Ty Jerome’s departure? Wine and Gold Talk podcast
“I love the vibe,” Cavs coach Kenny Atkinson said, reflecting on the past week. “It helps when you have a team that’s been together, and we know each other.”
There’s one more practice on Sunday before returning home for Tuesday’s preseason opener against the Chicago Bulls.
Turning heads
With the front office reaffirming its belief in the team’s core and salary cap limitations caused by being the league’s only second apron team, the Cavs focused on minor moves around the margins this offseason.
But each newbie — Larry Nance Jr., Lonzo Ball, Thomas Bryant and Tyrese Proctor — has made a strong first impression.
Nance, coming off an injury-interrupted career year from 3-point range with the Atlanta Hawks, has been shooting the ball with supreme confidence during camp, displaying the multi-faceted skillset that made him appealing in free agency.
Bryant, the 6-foot-10 center and capper of Cleveland’s small offseason class, has brought energy, activity, toughness and competitiveness to an already-deep frontcourt.
Even though Proctor — the 49th pick of the 2025 NBA Draft — will find it difficult to get consistent minutes as a rookie, teammates and coaches have raved about his maturity and skill, even with questions about how he would handle NBA-level physicality in the short term.
Then there’s Ball, the biggest offseason prize — a high IQ, versatile defender with a reliable shooting stroke and playmaking chops.
“Lonzo’s great,” Donovan Mitchell said Friday. “He’s a calm, cool presence. His IQ is on a whole other level. He throws full court like he’s back at Chino Hills. Making great plays and being in the gaps defensively. He’s going to get a lot of those stops. He’s going to do a lot of different things on the floor. He’s a big piece for us.”
Despite obvious injury concerns from his past that will likely cause workload management, the 27-year-old Ball continues to turn heads and is set for a significant role in his first season with the Cavs.
“He hasn’t disappointed. Everything that we thought we were getting, we’re getting,” Atkinson said. “He’s just got a great, great feel. I’m excited to coach any NBA player, but this is a guy I’ve watched for a long time. He’s kind of the ultimate system fit.”
A different goal
Last season, starting center Jarrett Allen set a goal to play in all 82 regular season games. He accomplished it — and then played nine more in the playoffs.
Toughness. Commitment. Consistency. Reliability.
But Allen is no longer set on appearing in all 82, with the Cavs having a not-yet-revealed big-picture in-season maintenance plan for all their regulars.
“I had a talk with him,” Atkinson said. “He’s open to a [a rest plan].”
Beyond that, Cleveland’s improved frontcourt depth and big man insurance will make it easier to manage Allen’s workload. Bryant is the 14th player on the roster. His playing time will be sporadic. But Atkinson — and others inside the organization — view him as a rotational-caliber player.
“It’s a great luxury,” Atkinson said about the number of playable bigs on the roster this season. “It’s hard to play more than 10. But I think we’ll figure out how to best integrate those guys.”
Cementing a spot
Jaylon Tyson has a new hairdo, turning his bushy and wavy ponytail into braids. He has a new perspective, looking to make his mark as the quintessential role player. And he has a new opportunity, with two high-minute rotational players — Darius Garland (toe) and Max Strus (foot) — still recovering from offseason surgeries.
“Man, that kid, he’s … hungry,” Mitchell said of his young teammate. “I’ve never seen a kid come out and lead his team in scoring in college, shoot every shot and then come in here and say, “Hey, I want to play in the half roll, I want to screen and get you guys open. I want to defend.’ That mentality is the sense of maturity that you want to have out of a young guy.”
After logging just 453 minutes last season and even spending some time with the G League affiliate Charge, Tyson focused on at-the-rim finishing, getting in better shape physically, quickening his jumper and becoming a relentless defender while showing his hands and staying away from nonsensical fouls.
During the team’s player-led voluntary runs in New York and Los Angeles, Tyson was often tasked with guarding Mitchell — a purposeful challenge from the mentor.
“I’ve said, ‘Hey, every time we play, anytime anything’s live, you’re guarding me,’” Mitchell explained. “We’re battling back and forth, and he understands that is what it’s going to take. He’s made me a better player. He’s going to take a big step for us, and a lot of people are going to start to realize who Jaylon Tyson is after this season.”
As for his jumper, the Cavs track daily shooting activity. Percentages. Left/right misses. Arc. Every detail that helps them better understand a player’s development.
Tyson ranked fourth in shooting among all Cavaliers at open gym this summer.
That’s just part of his role.
Despite an abundance of high-usage, on-the-ball responsibility in college, the Cavs believe Tyson sometimes has a tendency to do too much and gets out of control. They’re hoping to harness that. They want him to be more of a 3-and-D player. Fighting through screens. Cutting. Rebounding. Running in transition.
“All the things role players should do,” Atkinson said. “I’m trying to tell him — ‘cause he likes to handle the ball, he handled a lot at Cal, in Summer League — it’s like Jaylon, you’re gonna be playing with a lot of good players. You’ve got to do all this other stuff. That ball-handling stuff will be down the road.”
With early-season minutes available, will Tyson capitalize and turn that into a consistent spot?
“You’ve got to prove it,” Atkinson said. “The only way we can evaluate that is through regular season games; we’re not gonna take three games and evaluate it. But sample size, you start getting 10, 15 games, then we can start looking at it. He’s understanding better what we’re looking for from him. I think his body’s better. He’s in phenomenal shape. He plays so hard. My feeling is he’s gonna make a jump. He’s gonna be more comfortable out there. Hopefully this blossoms into a steady role for him.
“I’d be surprised if he doesn’t cement himself in the rotation.”