Despite having the NBA’s most expensive roster, the Cleveland Cavaliers have done a good job of navigating within the margins. When you four players making more than $28 million in Donovan Mitchell, James Harden, Evan Mobley, and Jarrett Allen, being able to have good depth behind them is imperative.
Head coach Kenny Atkinson came in with a player development background, but even then, it has been a pleasant surprise to see the Cavs develop young guys during a win-now window.Â
From Sam Merrill to Jaylon Tyson to Craig Porter Jr. to Nae’Qwan Tomlin, Cleveland has been able to maximize unheralded young guys.Â
Tomlin especially is the most impressive, as he didn’t play basketball in high school and has shown that he can be a rotation player in the league. There is one weakness though that is holding him back.
Tomlin’s jumper needs to improve he wants to be a full-time rotation player
Tomlin has shown a lot of great skills. From his insanely high motor to his defensive chops to his tenacity on the offensive glass, he has all the intangibles to be successful. It’s just his jumper that has helped him back.
It’s not that Tomlin is afraid to shoot threes. When he’s open, he has been letting them fly. The problem is, he is only knocking down 22 percent of his three-point attempts on the season.Â
He’s also only making 21 percent of his catch-and-shoot threes, and every single one of his attempts this year has been classified as an open or wide-open look.
His best shooting month from three-point range came way back in December, where he knocked down 33 percent of his threes on two attempts, which is still not great, but it’s the only month this season where he was above 20 percent from range.
Tomlin’s lack of a consistent jumper though is what is holding him back. Because of that, opponents dare him to shoot, and it is tough to have him out there because the spacing is compromised.
Once Tomlin can get his jumper figured out, he will quickly become a key piece for the Cavs. He has the ability to play both the three and four spots and this is a team that needs more three-and-D wings and more size in their frontcourt. This will be a key offseason for the young forward in Atkinson’s development program and if he can make that jump next year, Cleveland gets that much deeper.