The Cleveland Cavaliers Summer League team will take the court for the final time in Las Vegas at Cox Pavilion 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday, July 15 on Prime Video.
While the team is just 1-2, that hasn’t been the attraction. That has come in watching the team’s second-round draft choice, guard Meleek Thomas light up the scoreboard in each subsequent outing.
In his three games thus far, Thomas has averaged 28.3 points (Summer League best), on 50% shooting with four rebounds and 4.3 assists per game. He’s also shooting 45.8% from the 3-point line.
In each subsequent game, his scoring has risen. Against the Indiana Pacers he scored 20 points, followed by 30 against the Detroit Pistons and against the Miami Heat on July 13 he dropped 35 points in the team’s first win.
Cavaliers G Meleek Thomas seems to have the right attitude
Prior to going into the game against the Heat, the Cavs were winless in Summer League play. Thomas apparently was not amenable to that status by tying the record for second-most points in a summer performance by a Cavs player.
“First of all, we want 0-2 the first games. I’m big about winning, so I just wanted to solidify the win and I want to keep solidifying wins,” he said. “It’s not about the points just because I’m a team-oriented player. If I make others look better, I look amazing myself.”
He looked amazing to his college coach John Calipari when he was at Arkansas. Serving as a guest analyst for one of the Cavs’ summer games he made a blunt assessment.
“This kid right here, people missed on him,” he said.
He also admitted to being a bit upset when the Cavs made a trade in the draft.
“I’m still mad at Cleveland because they traded the first-round pick. I said, ‘What are you doing?’ And then [assistant general manager] Brandon Weems calls me and said, ‘We’re good. We’re still there and da, da, da,’ So they end up getting him.”
Meleek Thomas plays like he has something to prove heading to the fall
In a post-game interview after beating the Heat, sideline reporter Chris Haynes asked Thomas what he can bring to the Cavs, a team in the midst of a quest to reacquire the services of Akron native LeBron James.
“My energy, my defense, my offense, my leadership,” he said. “ I’m going to come in as a rookie, but nobody’s going to take me to be a rookie just because of how I play and how I carry myself.”
The attitude could go a significant way.
George M. Thomas covers a myriad of things including sports and pop culture, but mostly sports, he thinks, for the Beacon Journal.
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Cleveland Cavs rookie Meleek Thomas in NBA Summer League spotlight with scoring
Reporting by George M. Thomas, Akron Beacon Journal / Akron Beacon Journal
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By George M. Thomas, Akron Beacon Journal | USA TODAY Network
