CLEVELAND — The Cleveland Cavaliers have been working hard, preparing for the 2024-25 season. The team is back home after holding training camp at IMG Academy in Florida last week, gearing up for their first preseason matchup, hosting the Chicago Bulls inside Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse on Tuesday.
There's a sense of eagerness within the team to return to game action, preseason or not.
"I think any time you take this much time off of basketball, you can get back in front of your fans, it's going to be an awesome experience," said forward Georges Niang.
The game will be the first true application of the work they've begun with new head coach Kenny Atkinson, the returning core four, and the addition of rookie Jaylon Tyson, the Cavs' first-round pick in the 2024 NBA Draft.
Eager might be an understatement for how Tyson is feeling about Tuesday's game.
"Super excited, starting to get jitters already and it's only 11 o'clock," Tyson said Tuesday morning after shootaround at Cleveland Clinic Courts. "I'm just excited and just ready to show everybody what I've been working on."
Tyson was the last player on the courts at the end of shootarounds. He's been working intensely to make sure he not only has a role on the team but can also have a real impact with the minutes he gets.
"Hitting open shots is what I've been working on a lot. Shooting the ball and getting two feet in the paint, drive and kick, stuff like that," Tyson said. "Those are the things I feel like I can help this team and obviously I'll keep developing those things and fine-tuning my game."
The guard/forward said that the work he's put in has been complemented by the confidence instilled in him by his teammates. The encouragement he's gotten this offseason has him feeling ready for the preseason and season to begin.
"I just feel like my teammates believing in me. Even when I miss a shot at practice, they tell me—even Donovan [Mitchell] will come up to me and say 'Keep shooting. Keep shooting. If you have open shots, shoot the ball,'" Tyson said. "Sometimes if I'm not open, they say 'Just shoot the ball.' So just having that trust from my teammates early, I think that's a big thing going into this."
Tyson is set to get plenty of minutes on Tuesday. He'll have the opportunity to showcase the work, the confidence and the skillset he brings to the team for the first time inside Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse.
And while the rest of the team is looking forward to being back on the court, for Tyson, the moment he hits the hardwood will be a milestone for all the effort he's put in to get here.
"This is a different level, a level a lot of people dream of being on, and I'm here and it's finally right in front of me," Tyson said.
The Cavs and Bulls tip things off at 7 p.m. for the first preseason game of the 2024-25 season.
