When the Cleveland Cavaliers took a chance on Nae’Qwan Tomlin during the 2025 season, no one really expected much from the youngster. Tomlin didn’t even play basketball in high school and while he was a fairly productive college player, he was viewed as a longshot to produce at the NBA level.
However, Tomlin has been used to the doubt, and he has used to that to fuel his improvement over the last couple seasons. He has such a high motor and has shown a willingness to do the dirty work.
When the Cavs were dealing with injuries last year, Tomlin found himself in the rotation, and he did not disappoint. He wasn’t able to carve out a role for the playoffs, but he showed that he belonged in the league. This year, he will get the chance to break through.
With Dean Wade gone, Nae’Qwan Tomlin has the chance to have a big role this season
One of the key things that can be forgotten about this current Cleveland squad is that they will be relying a lot on youth in their reserve group this season. Keon Ellis, Max Strus, Dennis Schroder, and Wade are all gone. Multiple young players are going to have to step up and it starts with Tomlin.
The young forward averaged a modest five points and three rebounds per game last season, but Tomlin’s energy was the big headliner. He was always around the ball on both ends of the floor and every time he rose up for a dunk, it felt like he wanted to tear the rim off.
Defensively, he was not afraid of the challenge. He’s quick enough to guard on the perimeter and strong enough to hang in the paint as well. He would sky for rebounds and blocks on a consistent basis.
The problem with Tomlin though was that his shooting was less than stellar. He shot under 25 percent from three-point range and oftentimes the defense ignored him on the perimeter. That cannot happen on a Cavs team that needs as much space as possible for Donovan Mitchell and James Harden to be at their best.
Fortunately, it looks like Tomlin has been working on his jumper a lot this offseason and his shot looked much improved in summer league as well. Now, that has to translate to real gameplay.
Tomlin has the perfect skillset to be Cleveland’s backup power forward this year. They are going to need him to fill a key bench role this season, but it looks like he is up for the task.
Add us as a preferred source on Google