During the pre draft process, many projected Meleek Thomas to be a first round pick. The Cavs even considered taking him with their first round selection, but took him in the second to save some money, while still landing their guy.
Thomas wasted no time making his mark in the summer, as he led the summer league in scoring, and looked very comfortable operating as a point guard for Cleveland. Head coach Kenny Atkinson and President of Basketball Operations Koby Altman wanted to see if Thomas could handle being the lead guard and he more than delivered.
The question after summer league became whether or not Thomas would be in the early season rotation. With the season opener this week, it looks like we could have our answer.
It looks like the Cavs will give Meleek Thomas a shot early on
Throughout training camp and the preseason, Thomas was locked in a battle for the backup point guard spot with Craig Porter Jr. and Tyrese Proctor, with the expectation that two of those guys would make the rotation.
Porter Jr. pretty much locked up the job with his strong preseason showing and his fit next to Donovan Mitchell, but Thomas was ahead of Proctor when it came to minutes with the rotation regulars.
Thomas’ defense is what stood out. He was very active in passing lanes, using his length to create steals and deflections. Thomas spoke about the defensive end being a way he can get on the court early and he took on that challenge. A young player showing that level of maturity coming into the NBA is always a welcome sight.
He also looked comfortable as an on ball creator, an area the Cavs struggled in last season when it came to their reserves.
A big reason why Cleveland had so much success in 2025 was because of Ty Jerome’s ability to take over games off the bench as a scorer and they greatly lacked that last season. Thomas has that kind of scoring ability and combine that with his defensive effort, then the Cavs have that void filled.
Thomas is very raw and has a ton of room to grow, but Cleveland clearly already believes in him. With Sam Merrill also dealing with an elbow injury, the pathway to minutes is clear for Thomas. It is hard to say how much he will play early on in the season, but the indications are that the rookie from Arkansas will have the chance to earn his spot right away.
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