After trading out of the first round entirely, the Cleveland Cavaliers still managed to address dire needs with the selection of Meleek Thomas at No. 34.
Thomas, the running mate of Darius Acuff Jr. in the Arkansas backcourt, was a foundational piece to the team’s success. His outstanding three-point shooting and defensive specialties were pivotal in college, and are exactly what the Cavs need to help get over the hump.
Meleek Thomas Gives Cavs’ Bench a New Offensive Layer
Though he may not have lived up to his No. 11 ranking on the ESPN top 100 recruits, Thomas showed more than enough potential to be a late-first-round selection this year.
He was second on the team in both three-point makes (2.2) and attempts (5.3) last season, with over 73% of those shots being assisted.
Thomas did a good job working off of Acuff. He moved to open spots consistently and used the lottery pick’s rim pressure to his advantage.
Off-ball shooting is an element of the Cleveland bench that was sorely missed from the backcourt last season. Aside from their sharpshooting wings, Max Strus and Sam Merrill, the Cavs couldn’t rely on their bench to hit threes.
Veteran guards Dennis Schröder and Keon Ellis‘ jump shooting was unreliable. Additionally, with James Harden and Donovan Mitchell‘s playoff struggles, Cleveland was left with slim pickings behind the arc.
The addition of Thomas will immediately help resolve that issue, especially with the driving presence of Harden and Mitchell. He shot over 41% from deep on the season and nearly 49% in conference play.
Outside of his shooting, Thomas also shows playmaking upside. Even with Acuff on the court, he has had solid passing and driving responsibilities. Summer League play will help determine whether these traits are noteworthy in the NBA or flashes from college.
Possibly his best non-shooting offensive trait is his ball security. He averaged only 1.0 turnover per game while still serving as a secondary ball handler. Cleveland averaged the second-most turnovers per game in the playoffs last season (16.7), so Thomas’ ability to maximize possessions will be momentous.
These limited but significant offensive traits already make him a nice piece for the Cavs, but his defense is what puts his game together.
Thomas’ Defensive Tenacity
Meleek Thomas was all over the floor on defense last season.
He would pick guards up from full-court, read the passing lanes, and pick pockets with ease. Thomas’ solid height and great hands make him difficult to drive on for other guards. His 1.5 steals per game ranked first on the team.
A strong point for the Cavs’ backup guards was actually defense. Ellis is a monstrous defensive playmaker with good size, and Schröder’s physicality makes him a very solid on-ball defender. But because of their offensive lapses, they were not viable playoff pieces.
Thomas will be able to bring this strong defensive play while also being a good catch-and-shoot player.
The addition of Meleek Thomas gives the Cleveland Cavaliers a shot at a consistent 3&D backup guard for years to come.
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