Tomlin and Tyson looked good.
Nae’Qwan Tomlin and Jaylon Tyson were the day one standouts as the Cleveland Cavaliers narrowly lost to the Indiana Pacers. The team might have fallen short, but Tyson and Tomlin opened up the 2025 NBA Summer League with a bang.
Cleveland led by double-digits early on this game in large part due to Tomlin’s offensive eruption. He began the game on fire, nailing a pair of three-pointers and ramming through defenders on his way to the rim. Tomlin finished with a game-high 30 points in 27 minutes.
Tomlin’s unorthodox development has made him an interesting prospect. He didn’t even begin playing organized basketball until after high school. At 24 years old, his runway for improvement could be longer than most players of his age.
It’s best not to get carried away. But seeing Tomlin attack space and utilize his length to finish around defenders was reassuring. He looked like he didn’t belong in Vegas. I mean that in the most complementary way possible.
Tyson deserves credit for setting the stage. He embraced the role of distributor tonight — dishing 12 assists after Craig Porer Jr. left with a hamstring injury. Tyson was operating the pick-and-roll at a high level and served Tomlin a handful of easy layups throughout the game. Tyson also made a few three-pointers off the catch, which was encouraging to see.
Being good in Summer League isn’t a guarantee that you’ll make an NBA rotation. But it’s a good starting point. It’s far more important not to be bad than it is to be good, at this level. A poor performance in Vegas could easily mean more than a good one.
Rookies Saliou Niang and Tyrese Proctor made their Summer League debuts. Proctor popped early as an off-ball threat, drilling a duo of catch-and-shoot three-pointers in the first half. This is a natural skill that will translate well to the modern NBA. However, Proctor struggled heavily in the second half when the ball was in his hands. He had a difficult time handling opposing ball pressure and was consistently bottled up. This will be an area of concern moving forward.
Niang was an effective energy guy in this game. His hustle began to make a huge difference in the second half as Indiana rallied back to eventually steal this game. Niang made a handful of defensive plays and corralled an offensive rebound to keep the Pacers at bay for most of the fourth quarter. Ultimately, it wasn’t enough.
Cleveland dropped this game in the final minutes. Not having a true point guard to beat the full-court pressure bit them once again. Sometimes, history really does repeat itself.
The Cavs play their second game of the Summer League on Saturday at 3:30 pm.