The Cleveland Cavaliers just wrapped up the most impressive Summer League in their history at the event. They went 6-0, winning games by an average of 13 points per contest. They drubbed the Houston Rockets in the title game, never trailing in a 99-78 victory, to secure the championship trophy.
The Cavs were well-represented in the individual honors too. Sam Merrill made the “NBA 2K24 All-Summer League First Team” and Emoni Bates made the Second Team. Isaiah Mobley was dominant in both playoff games to secure the Championship Game MVP. As a group, they shut down Summer League MVP Cam Whitmore in the title game.
Unlike most teams in Las Vegas, the Cavaliers didn’t trot out lottery prospects or even first-round picks. The only player on their roster who played in Las Vegas was Sam Merrill; the rest were on two-way contracts (Mobley, Bates and Craig Porter Jr.) or hoping to earn a spot on the team. Yet they ended up winning it all.
What did we learn about the Cavaliers’ Summer League players?
The evaluations on the Cavs’ Summer League Team is all the more impactful for not having any secure roster players. Every player of note on the team was playing for their career, and how they played will directly impact whether they have a roster spot of any kind heading into next season.
Who improved their chances in Las Vegas? Who stumbled in the desert? Let’s play “Stock Up or Stock Down” with every meaningful player on the roster. Can any of these players move into the rotation next season? Who will get cut? Let’s take a look.
Isaiah Mobley – Stock: Up
Summer League Stat Line: 6 games, 28.3 minutes, 17.8 points, 8.3 rebounds, 4.5 assists, 1 steal, 1.5 blocks
When the Cleveland Cavaliers drafted Isaiah Mobley with the 49th pick in the 2022 NBA Draft, many assumed his selection was just a favor to Evan Mobley, an extra enticement to endear the budding star to Cleveland. When Mobley played just 84 total minutes last year, scoring 31 points, that theory may have felt cemented.
The problem with that theory was that Mobley showed in the G League he could do a lot more than he was able to in his limited NBA minutes. He averaged more than 20 points per game in all competitions, flashed some playmaking skills and was a stout defender.
Some players struggle to translate G League production to Summer League, but Mobley didn’t hesitate for a moment. He was one of the very best two-way players in Las Vegas, full-stop, and a worthy recipient of the Championship Game MVP. Last season he averaged 8.8 points per game in Vegas; this season, in similar minutes, he poured in 17.8 points.
Mobley’s versatility on offense was on full display. He could handle the ball on the perimeter, dish on the short roll, bang inside and clean the glass. He shot the ball well at the rim as few players in Summer League could match his size and strength, and he also hit a few timely 3-pointers to show his range is increasing.
Defensively Mobley was a force in the paint, turning away shot attempts and swatting away a fair amount of those who did try their best. He isn’t the most agile player on the perimeter, nor does he have sky-high athleticism to be a shutdown weakside shot-blocker, but his positioning is excellent and he can absorb contact very well.
We’re going deep on Mobley’s game because he clearly showed enough to be an option in the Cavaliers’ rotation as early as this season, and it’s possible, if not likely, he will pass Damian Jones in the pecking order during the year. By the end of the season, Mobley could find himself the latest Cavs player to go from two-way to full contract.
Emoni Bates – Stock: Neutral
Summer League stat line: 6 games, 29.8 minutes, 17.2 points, 6 rebounds, 1.2 assists, 0.8 steals, 0.8 blocks
The buzz around Emoni Bates is tremendous; how many players selected in the last 10 picks of the NBA Draft have ever generated this much conversation? Everyone from Cavaliers fans to the group selecting All-Summer League teams appears to be drinking the Emoni Bates Kool-Aid.
To his credit, Bates said all the right things after the NBA Draft. The former high school phenom had a rough two years in college, and NBA teams were rightfully concerned about how he would transition into being a role player. So far, so good, as Bates largely played off-ball in Summer League and filled his role well.
First, the good: Bates can absolutely shoot the basketball. He his 43.9 percent of his 7.5 three-point attempts per game, and his catch-and-shoot number felt closer to 100. His stroke is smooth, the ball looks good every time. He also ran the court, showing a good motor and finding himself open in transition to finish at the rim. He racked up a few highlight plays defensively stealing the ball or racing in from the weakside to affect a shot.
The flip side of the coin is less rosy. While Bates did have a few highlight plays on defense, he also was completely overwhelmed most of the time. He had a poor stance, he lacked the strength to contest shots inside, and he was frequently gambling for steals or rebounds that left him out of position. When he was spotting up or playing in the flow of the offense his shot was a real weapon; all too often he gave himself the green light for a heat check that rarely resulted in anything but a clank.
If you came into Summer League thinking that Bates had untapped potential and deserved a rotation spot this season, you probably saw enough to stick to your guns. If you thought Bates lacked the strength, athleticism, defense or mindset to be a useful NBA role player (that’s where I came down) you probably still think that.
Sam Merrill – Stock: Up
Summer League stat line: 5 games, 27.9 minutes, 20.4 points, 4 rebounds, 2.8 assists, 0.4 steals
The Cleveland Cavaliers worked hard this summer to improve their shooting, and rightfully so. They were overwhelmed in the playoffs in large part because the New York Knicks were confident packing the paint, not fearing the shooting of the Cavs’ role players. They dropped a lot of money on the likes of Max Strus and Gerges Niang.
It would therefore be quite amusing if their best movement shooter next season turned out to be the player they already had on the roster, one Sam Merrill out of Utah State. After signing a rest-of-season contract last year, Merrill is on a non-guaranteed deal for this season and seemed like a viable cut candidate if the Cavs found enough free agents they liked on the open market.
Merrill probably won’t get cut now, not after averaging 20.4 points per game and knocking down 25 3-pointers in five games, tying the Summer League record. He was dynamic in the championship game, scoring 27 points, hitting six triples and finishing a game-high +25.
The Cavs’ entire offense was built around Merrill’s shooting, and it worked; his off-ball movement and two-man game with Isaiah Mobley had defenses scrambling, and it opened up plenty of space inside for the Cavs to go to work. He has a very real chance of earning rotation minutes as the Max Strus understudy this season.
Craig Porter Jr. – Stock: Up
Summer League stat line: 12 points, 7.3 rebounds, 5.3 assists
Craig Porter Jr. was the more unheralded of the Cavs’ two rookie additions this summer, but his all-around game deserves to be praised. Porter had his hands in nearly every positive thing Cleveland did, at times running point and others cutting off-ball. He was the team’s best backcourt defender and he showed off some impressive rebounding ability.
Porter won’t factor into the rotation this season, but at the very least he validated his two-way spot with the team. He profiles as the kind of player who will fit perfectly in a rotation backing up Donovan Mitchell and Darius Garland. Only six rookies in all of Summer League averaged more assists than Porter, and only 13 had more rebounds — most of them bigs. His all-around game will earn him minutes quickly if the shooting and defense both prove legitimate.
Sharife Cooper – Stock: Down
Summer League stat line: 13.5 points, 2.3 rebounds, 3.3 assists
Sharife Cooper was the most veteran player among the core of guys the Cavaliers sent to Las Vegas, a passing maestro whose lack of a jumper has kept him from catching on with an NBA team since he was waived by the Atlanta Hawks. For Cooper to make the Cavs’ roster, he needed to either show off an improved jumper or prove himself so undeniable as a passer, interior scorer and defender that Cleveland tries to work around the shot.
Cooper had a big debut in Las Vegas, dropping 27 points against the Brooklyn Nets on the first night of competition. He would score just 27 points total in his three other appearances. He only got up a single 3-pointer per game, and his passing was even muted (just 3.3 assists per game) as he tried to hunt his shot inside the arc.
Cooper is a poor defender and a poor shooter, and there just isn’t a need for that player archetype on the Cavs or likely anywhere else. He didn’t do anything in the desert to change that evaluation, so barring the unexpected he’ll continue to be a G League standout next season.
Luke Travers – Stock: Up
Summer League stat line: 7.5 points, 6.3 rebounds, 2.0 assists, 0.8 steals, 2.2 blocks
One of the two draft-and-stash second-rounders from the 2022 Draft, Luke Travers has been plying his trade in the Australian NBL. He had an up-and-down Summer League, at times looking like the perfect glue guy and at others playing a bit too fast and out of control.
His defensive energy is tremendous, however, and his weakside rim protection was electric as he averaged 2.2 blocks per game. Only Greg Brown had more total blocks in Las Vegas than Travers. He will spend the next season with Melbourne United and should he take a step forward offensively seems like a strong bet to join the Cavaliers the following season.
Pete Nance – Stock: Neutral
Summer League stat line: 7.2 points, 3.3 rebounds, 1.2 assists
The younger brother of Larry Nance Jr. and son of Cavalier legend Larry Nance, Pete Nance joined the Cavs this summer after signing an Exhibit 10 contract to get a shot at the roster in Training Camp. To convince the Cavs to sing him even to a two-way deal he’ll need to be an elite shooter, and he did hit 42.9 of his 3-pointers on decent volume. He didn’t bring a ton else, however, and he probably doesn’t have enough juice in the rest of his game to hang on. He was certainly a fun addition to the team and will be good to have in training camp before likely playing the season with the Charge.
Khalifa Diop – Stock: Down
Summer League stat line: 4.0 points, 8.0 rebounds, 1.7 assists
The Cavs’ other draft-and-stash from 2022, Khalifa Diop looked much farther away than Luke Travers from being an NBA player. He appeared in just three games before returning overseas, averaging four points per game. His size and athleticism were apparent, and he rebounded well, but he looked exposed defensively at times and doesn’t have much skill on offense.
The hope is that with another year of development, he can return next summer and show something further to earn a spot as a long-term backup with the Cavs. For now, he looks too raw to factor into Cleveland’s plans this season.