3 players who stood out during Cavs Summer League
The Cleveland Cavaliers’ Summer League shined in Las Vegas as they dominated the Milwaukee Bucks from start to finish. Here’s who stood out in the Cavs’ first game of the Las Vegas Summer League circuit.
The Cleveland Cavaliers’ Summer League squad thrashed the Milwaukee Bucks in their first Summer League game, winning 82-53. They didn’t trail the Bucks at any point following the first quarter.
Who were the standouts?
While co-expert Nathan Beighle liked what he saw from Edy Tavares (12 points, 8 rebounds, 1 block), I’m admittedly not a fan of the behemoth’s lack of foot speed or his awkward gait but I understand the intrigue. With that said, here are my three standouts from Game 1.
T.J. Williams
T.J. Williams came on the court and not only played tough defense on the perimeter but he toed the line between attacking and facilitating beautifully. He has nice athleticism and a solid crossover dribble. He’s also adept at finding the open man and getting to the rim, especially if he’s operating off of a screen. Kay Felder is still the shiftier athlete and just as an able a scorer as Williams, he also played solid defense in the Cavs first game. However, Williams looks as if he may be able to man some minutes at point guard for somebody’s team one day.
Williams finished the game with eight points (4-5 from the field), three assists and two steals in 15 minutes.
Andrew White III
Andrew White III racked up four quick fouls and showed that he needed to adjust his level of touchiness as a defender at the NBA level but he was quick and aggressive on the defensive end. Offensively, White was the most efficient wing player for the Cavs and had the most natural shooting stroke of the bunch. What’s interesting to watch about White is how easily his game would translate to the NBA level. He’s a smooth athlete on the defensive end and not just a three-point specialist on the offensive end; he’s a player who attacks closeouts with a pull-up jumper and can come off of screens to knock down a shot from either two-point or three-point range.
White finished the game with 11 points (4-7 from the field, 2-4 from three-point range) in 12 minutes.
Casey Prather
If you were looking for the young athlete with the ability to be an impact defender and solid on offense, look no further than Casey Prather. Prather, who blocked three shots (two on the perimeter) and recorded a steal looks the part of an athletic specimen. At one point, he took the elevator up to throw down a vicious poster dunk. He didn’t convert but the place was buzzing with the mere thought of him completing the throwdown. When looking at the box score for the Cavs, Prather was inefficient (2-8 from the field). However, Prather managed to go 1-3 from downtown and with four free-throw attempts, Prather’s really only missed one shot from two-point range that didn’t result in a foul. He’s adept at getting to the rim and though he didn’t show an in-between game, the game he did show was that of a NBA-caliber player.
Prather finished the game with 8 points (2-8 from the field, 1-3 from three-point range), 4 rebounds, 3 blocks and a steal in 22 minutes.