Nae’Qwan Tomlin struggled to find his shot in the loss.
The Cleveland Cavaliers ended their Summer League slate with an 82-71 loss to the Golden State Warriors. Cleveland had a tough time scoring the ball. They were down by 22 in the fourth quarter, but a 14-0 run cut the deficit to six with just over four minutes to play. That was a close as the Cavs would get.
The final Summer League exhibition is a lot like the third NFL preseason game. Most of the guys who played some in the previous tune-up games aren’t participating. The only ones left by the end are the ones fighting for special teams positions and trying to make the final roster. In Summer League, the remaining players are mostly jockeying for G League spots.
In short, it’s difficult to take too much away from a game like this.
The only Cavalier who played today that we know will get some kind of NBA minutes next season is Nae’Qwan Tomlin. Tyrese Proctor, Craig Porter Jr., Jaylon Tyson, and Saliou Niang were not in uniform.
Tomlin emptied the clip, but it was far from his best showing of the summer. He couldn’t find his shot as he went 2-15 from the field through the first three quarters. Things turned around as Tomlin provided 13 fourth-quarter points to help lead the failed comeback attempt. He ended the evening with 17 points on 6-21 shooting with seven rebounds, two assists, and seven turnovers.
This was a rough showing from Tomlin, but it shouldn’t overshadow what has been a good showing in Las Vegas. The Cavs didn’t have many other on-ball threats which forced Tomlin to be the main source of offense. When his shot wasn’t falling, there wasn’t anyone else the Summer Cavs could turn to.
This isn’t a role we expect Tomlin to play in the NBA. I wouldn’t make too much out of this poor performance.
Tristan Enaruna has put himself in a decent position to earn the remaining two-way spot. He had a respectable outing as he added 13 points on 4-11 shooting with six rebounds, two blocks, and a steal.
Chaney Johnson led the Cavs in bench points with 12 on 6-8 shooting with four rebounds and three assists. Jaxson Robinson provided 12 points on 4-15 shooting with four rebounds.
The Warriors were led by Chris Manon’s 17 points on 4-5 shooting.
Cleveland concluded Summer League with a 2-3 record. The Cavs will next take the floor for preseason games at the beginning of October.