We’re not going to go too in-depth with this recap because frankly, there wasn’t much positive to write home about from the Cavaliers standpoint.
It was a great night for Lakers fans, who have one of the most talented Summer League rosters – even without last year’s No. 2 pick, Brandon Ingram.
Lonzo’s Triple-Double
Lonzo Ball put up 12 points, 12 assists and 10 rebounds. He’s posted 11 assists or more in three-straight games.
He was wearing Adidas in case you were wondering.
Kyle Kuzma Lights It Up Again
The No. 27 pick is looking like he could be one of the best finds of this year’s draft. He scored 31 on Saturday night and was in a groove on Thursday, scoring 20 points, knocking down 4-of-8 three-pointers.
The stretch four looks like he’s going to benefit tremendously from Ball’s great playmaking ability and the Lakers have a promising core in the making with Ingram progressing as well.
About Those Cavs….. 5 Quick Thoughts
1. The team looked much worse without Brandon Paul.
There’s somewhat of a contingency of Cavs fans and writers (myself included) who were upset to see Paul, Cleveland’s leading scorer in Summer League play, get swiped right under the Cavaliers’ noses by the San Antonio Spurs.
He might turn into a productive NBA player. He might be a G-Leaguer and nothing more. But my money is on Gregg Popovich and the San Antonio Spurs having better player evaluation than Cleveland’s fraction of a front office, which seems to think adding guys whose careers are trending downwards is a better strategy to keep up with the athleticism of the Golden State Warriors than going with younger players with potential and energy.
The offense was lethargic and a lot of it consisted of Kay Felder driving and pulling up for reckless contested jumpers.
2. 26 Field Goal Attempts for Kay
Felder scored a game-high 25 points, going 11-for-26 from the field.
Cleveland didn’t have much of an offense in rhythm and not many players were stepping up in Paul’s absence, so Felder took a big chunk of the shots.
He started off 2-for-9 in the first quarter, found a little bit of a groove in the second and third quarter, and went scoreless in the fourth.
Altogether, it was another night of some flashy playmaking, a few dazzling moves and finishes, but mostly, a frustrating night to watch for the second-year point guard.
Most players are supposed to look like they’ve grown by leaps and bounds after their first year in the league. It’s tough to tell how much Felder’s game has evolved since last summer, as he’s been in a new role of facilitating the offense, but he certainly hasn’t been more efficient than last summer and he doesn’t look any more polished than some of the rookies and non-NBA candidates on other rosters.
He’s still very raw, athletic and quick, but overall, he hasn’t shown great decision-making and his defense continues to be a liability, even against Summer League players (not just Ball).
3. Tavares Underwhelming
I’m not quite sure what the problem has been with Tavares, but he hasn’t been “getting after it,” or fighting for as many rebounds as you’d like to see out of the team’s true backup center.
At 7-foot-3, he’s only grabbed 25 rebounds in four games, averaging roughly 17 minutes per game. If you take away Friday’s Summer League opener, he has only 13 rebounds in the last three contests.
He’s played just 30 minutes total in the last two games (15 in each). Perhaps he’s being used conservatively because he’s coming back from a fractured bone in his hand, which would explain his lack of aggression and production, but aside from his five blocks on Monday, there hasn’t been a lot to get excited over when it comes to the big man.
At this point, my guess is we’ll have to re-evaluate his play in preseason when he’s had more than six months to recover from his injury.
4. Pointer’s Positives
One of the rays of hope in this game (and in the last game) was Sir’Dominic Pointer. His athleticism, hustle and tenacity stand out.
He’s thrown down a few vicious dunks in the last two games. It makes you wonder why he didn’t get a shot in the first two. The 6-foot-6 forward scored 11 points on 5-of-8 shooting and grabbed seven rebounds.
In these two games, he’s shot 11-for-16 with 24 points and 12 rebounds. He’s been one of Cleveland’s most efficient players in Las Vegas and has the type of body the Cavs would be looking for to match up with versatile wings.
He’s far from a shoe-in to get a two-way contract, but I still wouldn’t rule it out, as he’s really made a positive impact when given the chance.
5. Williams/Cassell Jr./Gill/Prather – Ability is There, Fit is Not
Cleveland’s Summer League squad has several players who have shown promise, composure and solid two-way ability in these four games.
T.J. Williams, who started off on a roll and cooled off the last two games is one of those guys. It’s hard to explain his poor shooting in the last two games, as he went 2-for-16 from the field against the Lakers, but he still managed to get to the free throw line and knock down 6-of-6 attempts. He went 9-for-12 from the field in the first two games. His scrappy play on defense, hustle and court vision are all positives and I won’t be surprised to hear his name called in the G League for another team this season.
Sam Cassell Jr. put up seven points and made a couple deep shots from just inside the three-point line. He’s made good decisions with the ball in his hands and hasn’t been burned on defense much, if at all in these four games.
Anthony Gill has been one of the more athletic 6-foot-8 players on the court in all four games he’s played with the Cavs. He grabbed double-digit rebounds for the third time out of that four-game stretch on Thursday. Word is (according to David Pick), he has an overseas deal coming his way again.
Casey Prather made 5-of-11 shots and scored 10 points, grabbing seven rebounds. There’s a lot to like about his game. He plays smooth, under control and is in the right place at the right time. The 6-foot-6 forward has the tools and the basketball IQ to be a solid contributor at Summer League play for sure, but it’s unclear if he’d be able to make a jump into NBA action any time soon. He’ll probably make a good chunk of change overseas and I could see a place for him on a two-way contract, just probably not with the Cavs right now, especially given their “win-now” mode.
That’s the problem when it comes to so many of these Summer League players trying out for the Cavs. Cleveland is not in a position to throw these guys into the fire and see how they handle it. Even Felder or Tavares at this point. With the focus clearly set on NBA Championship or bust, Cleveland is not the type of place to give Gill, Prather or Williams meaningful minutes to learn under pressure.
There is enough ability in some of these guys that it’d be interesting to see how they adjust to NBA basketball, but the fit is just not there with this franchise.
I’d like to see a few of them latch on with other NBA teams and get a shot.
Cavs are back at it on Friday night at 10:30 pm ET, taking on the Toronto Raptors on NBA TV.
They’ll look to finish Summer League play with a record of 4-1.
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