The Cleveland Cavaliers are currently 2-0 in Las Vegas Summer League action, as they defeated the Brooklyn Nets in a close contest on Friday, and handled the Toronto Raptors on Sunday. The score was 99-76, as Cleveland was in command of the game from the opening tip against Toronto. Cleveland had the lead from the first bucket, and didn’t look back.
Toronto is one of three teams that are 0-2, including the New York Knicks and Charlotte Hornets. Cleveland, on the other hand, is one of four teams that are 2-0 in the Summer League, including the Los Angeles Lakers, Milwaukee Bucks, and Houston Rockets.
At face value, it was just a poor shooting performance for Toronto, which really hurt their chances to get the win. The Raptors shot 34.6 percent from the field and 16.1 percent from three-point range. Cleveland shot 46.5 percent from the field and 36.7 percent from distance, pretty solid shooting splits.
This is a great win for Cleveland, as they now go into the next game against the Memphis Grizzlies with a lot of momentum, and have a chance to be 3-0 with a victory on Monday.
Cleveland’s Summer League team has really exceeded expectations, as they look to be a well-oiled machine, and have both great offense and defense. A Summer League title is definitely a possiblity at this point for the Wine and Gold.
There are many points of interest in this last game, especially for the Cavaliers. There were many bright spots, but as there always is, there were some disappointments, as well.
Here are two key takeaways from the Cavs’ win on Sunday over the Raptors.
We’ll begin with the play of one big who keeps helping his case.
No. 1: Isaiah Mobley has played REALLY well
Isaiah Mobley played really well on Sunday. He had 15 points and six rebounds, but most importantly, four assists. Mobley has shown that he is a more than capable playmaker for his size and position, and his perimeter shooting has been a positive, too.
Sure, 15 points isn’t groundbreaking. However, he only played 22 minutes, as the team was leading by a lot of points. Mobley didn’t need to play a ton of minutes, as Cleveland wanted to play a lot of players. The Cavaliers played every guy on their Summer League roster in the game, as it was nice to give each player a chance to show their worth on the court.
Mobley also had one steal and one block, which was nice to see. Mobley isn’t a slouch on defense. He has nice awareness for a player going into his sophomore season in the NBA. He’s not as good as his NBA All-Defensive First Team brother, Evan Mobley, but Isaiah won’t be targeted on defense that often.
Depending on how Isaiah Mobley plays during the rest of the Summer League, it wouldn’t be too surprising to see his two-way contract converted to a standard contract, and maybe eventually being a player in the Cavs’ regular rotation. His performance on Friday night was pretty impressive, too, as he had 15 points, nine rebounds, six assists, a block and a steal.
The Cavaliers’ power forward spot is filled out, as the backups are Georges Niang and Dean Wade. That said, Wade is also capable of playing the small forward position, and Mobley can play the center spot if he really needed to.
No. 2: Khalifa Diop is still unpolished
Heading into it, it seemed exciting to get to see Khalifa Diop play in the Summer League this year. Diop was the 39th overall pick by the Cavaliers in the 2022 NBA Draft, and he played overseas last year, and was at minimum, a draft-and-stash selection for this past season.
One thing that really stuck out from Diop’s play on Sunday were his fouls. He had six fouls in 18 minutes total, which was concerning. Even overseas, he had the tendency to be in foul trouble. He averaged a career 6.1 fouls per-36 minutes in 143 total games overseas since 2018.
Being able to play without fouling is a key component in becoming a viable, let alone, very effective NBA big. The Cavs’ big men, both Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen, can play without fouling excessively, which makes them that much more valuable to the team.
Yes, Diop is only 21 years old. He has plenty of room to grow. However, considering he hasn’t shown a lot, if any progression when it comes to his fouling tendency, it’s difficult to project if he’ll ever be a successful center in the NBA.
He did grab nine rebounds, which was encouraging. He also added in a block and 3 assists, both good signs to see for a young big man. But to be honest, that’s where the positive parts of his game end. Yes, he did shoot a nice three-of-four from the field, but other than that, that’s really all.
He was a plus-three for the game, which does sound nice, but when you consider he had the third-worst plus-minus on the team, and the Cavaliers won by a margin of 23 points, it isn’t tremendous. At least he wasn’t a net negative to the team, though.
It’s not fun to grill him, of course, it’s just clear Diop isn’t ready for NBA basketball yet. Maybe giving him a shot in the G League would be a better idea, or even sending him back overseas for a bit longer. Either way, Diop getting an NBA roster spot doesn’t appear to be in his cards anytime soon.
All in all, the Cavs had a phenomenal game against the Raptors, and hopefully for Cleveland, their hot streak continues. Going against the Grizzlies won’t be an easy task, as they have skilled big men in Kenneth Lofton Jr. and David Roddy, as well as the recent 45th overall pick, GG Jackson II.
As of now, it will awesome to watch the Cavs face the Grizzlies, as it should be quite an entertaining matchup to watch.