The Cleveland Cavaliers wrapped up their scheduled games in Vegas with an 82-77 win over the New Orleans Pelicans, but the result also closed the book on their shot at the knockout tournament. Cleveland finished 2-2, which leaves them outside the top four and headed for one more consolation game.
That doesn’t make the trip meaningless. Summer League is built around development, and the Cavs got a clear look at several young players while also deciding to protect one of their biggest standouts.
Cleveland held rookie Meleek Thomas out of the game, keeping the 34th pick on the bench to avoid any injury risk. Thomas had exploded for 35 points in his previous outing and finished the summer with 85 points across three games. He had already shown enough shot-making and feel for the game to make his point in this setting.
With Thomas sitting, the door opened for others to grab the spotlight. Malaki Branham did exactly that, leading Cleveland with 22 points and looking strong from start to finish. He was the Cavs’ best player in the win.
Jaxson Robinson also made his case with 13 points on 5-for-10 shooting. The 23-year-old forward has flashed a real ability to catch fire from deep, including a 42-point performance with eight three-pointers for the Cleveland Charge earlier this year.
Robinson’s path has been a long one. He spent five years in college, starting at Texas A&M, then moving to BYU before finishing at Kentucky. He averaged 13 points per game in his senior season, and at 6-foot-7, he fits the kind of three-point shooter teams keep coming back to.
The Cavs’ two-way group had a more uneven showing in Vegas. Tristan Enaruna has been sidelined since the first game because of illness. Ernest Udeh Jr. brought energy and activity, finishing with 8 rebounds and 3 blocked shots, but he went 0-for-2 and didn’t score.
Riley Minix has had the toughest summer of the bunch. He’s shooting under 30% from the field and missed his first 19 attempts from three before finally knocking one down today, moving him to 1-for-20 from beyond the arc for the summer.
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