When the Cavaliers used a second-round pick on Meleek Thomas, the reaction made sense. Cleveland’s most obvious roster issue has been on the wings, where more playable size has been the loudest need for a while.
But the pick also points to another gap that has been easy to miss: the bench scoring and playmaking Ty Jerome once supplied.
Jerome was sensational in his lone full season with the Cavs. He finished as a finalist for Sixth Man of the Year and, by the numbers, put together one of the most efficient seasons any reserve had across the league. The playoff run didn’t go nearly as well, but Cleveland was still better with that kind of production coming off the bench.
Last season, nobody really replaced it. Jaylon Tyson made a big leap, but his second half was uneven and his playoffs were rough.
Sam Merrill improved too, though his game is built more around movement shooting than self-creation. Neither gave the Cavs what Jerome did as a shot-maker and playmaker.
That’s where Thomas starts to make sense.
He fits the guard profile Koby Altman and Kenny Atkinson have gravitated toward: he moves well without the ball, he takes care of it, and he plays with a high motor on both ends. At Arkansas, he proved he could handle either guard spot, and his numbers took off when Darius Acuff Jr. wasn’t alongside him. Thomas hit an eye-popping 51% from three-point range, and his turnover rate - already low - dropped even further when he was asked to run the offense.
He also showed he can create his own shot off the dribble, especially on jumpers. The release needs to speed up a bit, but the shooting looks ready to carry over right away.
The bigger swing is his development as a playmaker and point guard. There were flashes of that in college, but Acuff’s heavy usage kept Thomas from showing the full package. Cleveland plans to give him more point guard reps in Summer League, which should help him get there faster.
Thomas probably won’t crack the rotation as a major piece in year one, which is a tough ask for any rookie on a team with title aspirations. But over time, he has a real chance to become the bench shot-creator the Cavaliers have been missing.
In Other News...
Lakers Rumor Suddenly Puts A Cavs Core Piece In Play
The Lakers move for Walker Kessler already signaled how aggressively they want to reshape their defense, and it has only sharpened the conversation around what comes next. Kessler gives them the kind of rim protection and rebounding that changes a front line, but the fit also invites a broader question about how many elite defensive centers one roster can realistically stockpile before the rest of the offense starts to feel cramped.
For Cleveland, the speculation lands in an obvious place because Jarrett Allen remains one of the core pieces that anchors the Cavs identity on both ends. The idea of Los Angeles circling another big after landing Kessler has created a fresh layer of intrigue around the Lakers search for size, while also raising the practical issue of spacing if they keep chasing that profile too far, even with Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves in the mix. [Read more 🡒]
Cavaliers May Sacrifice A Key Piece For A Familiar Dream
The Cavaliers are again being linked to the kind of roster maneuvering that can reshape a summer, with Dennis Schrder emerging as the most obvious movable piece if Cleveland decides it needs more financial breathing room. Schrder is entering the final year of his deal on a salary that could be used to help the front office navigate a tighter payroll picture, and the idea is rooted less in certainty than in the cold math of how the roster is built.
Clevelands interest in preserving flexibility is what gives the speculation its edge, especially with the second-apron tax realities hanging over the teams planning. If the Cavaliers do decide to move Schrder, it would not just be about trimming salary, but about keeping the door open for a much bigger swing later, one that would require the kind of runway this roster does not currently have. [Read more 🡒]
Meleek Thomas Drops 20 In Encouraging Cavaliers Summer League Debut
Meleek Thomas wasted little time giving the Cavaliers something to watch in Summer League, making his debut look more polished than most first outings. In Clevelands 99-93 loss to Indiana, the young guard played with confidence, attacked the glass and showed the kind of scoring touch that can make a summer showcase feel a little more meaningful than the final score.
Thomas finished with a team-high 20 points in 27 minutes and added five rebounds, including three on the offensive end, while doing much of his best work late. The fourth quarter offered the clearest glimpse of why Cleveland has been intrigued by him, and the staffs early optimism only grew after seeing him handle the moment the way he did. [Read more 🡒]