The Cleveland Cavaliers wrapped up Summer League with a 100-91 win over the Chicago Bulls, led by 24 points from Meleek Thomas.
The Summer League environment rewards score-first guards. The limited practice time, mismatched rosters, and the overall lack of interior defensive talent make it easier for someone in Thomas’s archetype to excel in this setting. Yet, it’s difficult not to be impressed with what we’ve seen in four games.
This wasn’t Thomas’s best scoring outburst in Las Vegas. He missed his first four shots before catching a rhythm. And when he did, the points started to pile up as he converted 10 of his final 16 attempts.
Thomas’s ability to create space off the dribble has been impressive. He’s been able to get to and finish at the rim more efficiently than he did in college in a more spaced-out style of play. Thomas did that again, going 5-5 in the restricted area on Friday. That — combined with his lethal outside shot — has led to impressive scoring performances.
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Natural scorers have a way of getting where they want to on the court. Thomas has looked like one in Las Vegas. Nothing about his offensive game feels forced. He reads the defense and then gets the shot he wants from there. We saw that repeatedly on display in the 24-point performance.
There are understandable questions about how this looks when he’s forced into a more off-ball role, as he will be at the start of his NBA career. The skills that allow him to be effective with the ball in his hands should still show through. How exactly that looks is an open question.
Thomas isn’t a complete offensive player, at least not yet. Running an offense as the point guard and intentionally looking to set up teammates doesn’t seem to come naturally to him. Based on what Koby Altman said right after they drafted him, this is something the team wants him to work on.
Despite those concerns, there’s a compete level with Thomas that you want to see. He plays with intensity, but doesn’t let that overcome other parts of his game. There’s a purpose behind his actions, which is what you want to see, and is something you can’t really teach.
Thomas wasn’t the only Cavalier who had a strong showing.
Riley Minix had a nice bounce back after struggling throughout the first four games in Las Vegas. He put up 12 points on 5-9 shooting.
Malaki Branham concluded a strong Summer League with 13 points and five assists. Tre’Von Spillers added 12 points and nine rebounds off the bench.
The Bulls decided to rest the fourth overall pick, Caleb Wilson. They were led by 22 points from Donovan Atwell.
The Cavs completed their trip to Vegas with three straight wins and a 3-2 record overall.
The next time we’ll see someone on the court in the wine & gold will be when the preseason tips off in early October.
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